The Sawada Family Takes No Crap from Nobody
by GC4life
Summary: Sawada Nana had many secrets. Some were simple (where the cookies were hidden away from small hands). Some were big (being reborn from a man to a woman was an... interesting change). Either way, Nana had kids to look after, and if the world thought they could take even one of the Sawada kids by force they had another thing coming.
1. Humans are Weird

**Have this over on Archive and completely forgot to put it over here too! Ahh! Hope you enjoy friends!**

**-00-**

Humans are Weird

**-00-**

Death was… odd.

He had never really been religious when he had been alive. He wanted to believe there was something after death, of course. He just didn't see how anyone could ever possibly know if there was, what was right and wrong to believe, until he actually died.

_"That's what belief is," his sister rolled her eyes, directing their brother (her twin) to cut the carrots waiting at the end of the counter. "You don't know, but you believe."_

_"Yeah, but how do you know what to believe in when it's impossible to know?" his brother asked._

_She smacked him and told him to pay attention before he cut himself. Again._

Either way, he had been open to just about anything while keeping his fingers crossed that it wasn't simply nothingness waiting for him.

An empty black space where he felt like he was floating but couldn't actually see himself wasn't quite 'nothingness'. The creepy voice was odd too.

"How interesting," the voice mused. It was distinctly male, and it had a very unsettling lilt to it that made it sound like whoever it was was trying to persuade him into making very bad life choices. Death choices. Whatever. "What has happened to your soul little one?"

Little? He had died at the age of thirty-two, thank you very much. 'Little' was not how one would typically describe him.

They hummed. "It's not too terribly damaged. Just enough to keep you here, hm? You'll heal on your own, eventually, and then move on just like all the others."

Well, at least the voice was rather forthcoming with information, it seemed. His soul was damaged (which didn't sound good) but it could be healed. Apparently this had happened before. Perhaps it had been damaged by how he had died? Or the things that happened when he had lived? He didn't really have a voice, he had tried as soon as he was conscious, so asking questions was out.

"Although~" The sound was sweet, the word pulled long.

That didn't sound good.

"Yes, this could work. Little one, how would you like to help me make a dream come true?"

He would like to not do that, thanks. This guy sounded like the stranger in a van full of candy every human being had long since learned not to trust.

"Oh, it won't be very difficult. You seem like a strong soul. Strong enough to protect the little Sky until he is ready."

He had not been aware that the sky even had gender pronouns but okay. Did protecting the sky mean he would be part of the atmosphere or something? Global warming was not a thing he wanted to experience on such a personal level.

Something brushed against him, _through_ him, and if he had still had skin it would be covered in goosebumps. That had felt wrong.

"_Very_ flexible," the voice practically purred and he started to get strong creeper vibes. He wanted out of wherever this was, and fast. "Perfect, you should adapt just fine. Now, which one should I have you replace?"

Ew. This was sounding worse and worse. Was there a way to fight back?

"The mother or the father… I suppose it will have to be that one."

He tried to wiggle away. It was so dark he couldn't tell if he was actually getting anywhere but a moment later that disgusting feeling was back. This time, instead of passing through him, it wrapped around him.

"Ah, where are you going? You were going to help, remember?"

No, he certainly did not. He remembered actively screaming his refusal in fact.

"Everything is ready now. I'll leave you alone for a little while. Try to adapt quickly."

He had never wanted to know what a grape felt like when it was feeling crushed. Trust him, it wasn't pleasant. He couldn't even scream, no matter how hard he tried.

Oh, no. Wait. There it goes. He was screaming now.

And ow. It had gotten _bright_. Painfully so. He couldn't even crack his eyelids open without being blinded. The hand was still holding him to. No, it was more than one hand now. Two. Three? How many hands did this thing have?

A completely different voice spoke, loud and directly into his ear. He startled so badly his own hand hit his face. Had that even been english? It sounded like a bunch of random sounds just mushed together.

...Hand?

Struggling, blinking rapidly in hopes his eyes would adjust faster, he fought to actually see what was around him.

Soft, warm brown eyes stared down at him from a far to large face. He was now being held in the arms of a literal giant. She was smiling and crying, far too pale to be normal with dark bags under her eyes.

"...Nana," she breathed, eyes fluttering. Soft fingers brushed over his head tenderly.

"Ohayo," a deeper voice called and suddenly there was a man. Thick lines surrounded his eyes and mouth, salt a pepper hair beard trimmed close to his face. He glanced at the woman with a smile on his face but worry in his eyes. "Nana?"

"Nana," she said resolutely.

What the hell was happening? Why were these people so big? And- why the hell were his hands so small?!

It would take half a day before he realized he was a baby.

It would take several before he realized he was a baby girl.

-00-

Natsuki Nana was… odd.

All of her neighbors agreed. The little girl was sweet, and very mature for her age, but definitely odd.

At five-years-old her language was certainly impressive, but she would sometimes switch from feminine to masculine ways of speech. Even a few english phrases would pop up, which was very impressive for such a young child.

If only her father would actually take action to get her into a good school instead of leaving her to fend for herself while he went to work. The mothers of the neighborhood sympathized with the poor man, losing his wife only a few hours after Nana was born, but that was no excuse for leaving the little one alone!

They had banded together to help take care of her, which is when things started getting very odd. She would switch randomly from dressing up in the dresses they made or bought her to sweats and a hoodie. She would have tea with them, delicate as anything else, and then they would be passing by the park and see her digging through the mud with steadfast determination or playing ball with the boys in the field. She was always on the winning team.

She would talk to herself. A lot.

She once told Masaki-san, the elderly man directly next door, that her imaginary friend was a busybody who couldn't mind his own business so they argued all the time. Masaki-chan, his wife, asked what her imaginary friend looked like. The girl had simply shrugged and said he was just like a ghost so she couldn't tell.

"You're a lady," the stern Hanazawa-san had told her one day after finding her in a tree with scrapes all over. "This is not how ladies act."

Nana had scrunched up her face like she had tasted something sour. "Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't climb trees. That's stupid."

Hanazawa-san and Nana did not get along.

When she turned eight Nana's father surprised her by not only remembering her birthday but by taking the night off to celebrate with her as well.

Natsuki Toshi had not realized his daughter had grown so big until she hugged him after he brought out the small convenience store cake he had bought just that morning.

"It's okay Dad," she had consoled when he started crying. She looked so much like her mother. "I understand."

"Papa loves you," he had told her, desperate for her to understand that he did not leave her alone out of hate.

"I know. I love you too. Don't worry, I can take care of myself okay?"

She deserved better, he knew. But how could he take care of her, look her in the eye and smile, when all he could see was the love of his life in her warm brown eyes and the curve of her smile?

"Take your time dad," she told him, small hands patting the back of his head with her cheek pressed against his. "I know you loved mom a lot. Take your time."

She deserved better.

A few days later he forced himself to meet her eyes. He asked her if she liked school.

Her nose had scrunched up in thought (a warm feeling he had been missing filled his heart when he recognized the face his late wife would make when in deep thought).

"It's okay," she shrugged, spearing her broccoli on the end of her chopsticks. She would do that sometimes. Said she like to mix things up. "Kind of boring. Why?"

There had been a pamphlet in the mailbox on her birthday. He hadn't thought to even look at it before, but had found his gaze drawn to it again after she had gone to bed.

"What do you think about a boarding school?" he wondered. It was still too difficult to look at her, and she was such a bright girl. She would know when he couldn't meet her eyes and no matter how much she told him it was okay he knew it must hurt her. This way he would have the space he needed to mourn, to not see his wife in her shadow each day, and she would not be left unsupervised for so long.

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him, a mirror of his own expression. It made him laugh a bit.

"Why?" she wondered.

He let her read through the pamphlet. A girl's school in Italy, designed for especially talented and gifted children. Nana certainly qualified.

"Italy," she had mumbled. "Are you messing around again?"

"What was that?" he wondered, but she had simply waved him away saying she had just been talking to herself.

Later that night, when he had troubles sleeping again, he had heard her arguing to herself about accepting or not. He had read that highly intelligent children spoke to themselves often, so he left her to think it through herself and went down to try to distract himself from his thoughts.

Over the weekend, when he got off early for once, he found her next door playing with the Masaki family's cat.

"Dad!" she had rushed to hug him and something in his heart loosened at the motion. She was such a kind girl. "I've thought about it," she told him as they walked home hand-in-hand.

"Oh?" he smiled, eyes hovering over the top of her head but ears focused on her every word. "You know you don't have to if you really don't want to dear. I just don't want you to be alone at home so often and I think you should make some friends."

The ladies of the neighborhood always chattered away about his daughter when he passed them on the way home. He knew she was often separated from her schoolmates, and even when she did interact with them it was almost always the boys she chose to play with. They treated her as an equal now, but he knew that as they grew older that would start to change. She needed some friends that would stay by her side, especially when he couldn't.

The small hand in his had tightened, drawing him back. She swung their hands back and forth. "I think it'll be fun. I've never been to Italy before."

He had chuckled. "You've never been anywhere before sweetheart."

She had huffed out a very sassy sigh for such a young girl and he laughed harder than he had in a long time. It was easy, when he wasn't looking at her. Easy to love with all of his heart and not let it be tainted by loss.

"I'll call every night," she promised, linking their pinkies together as they got to the door. "Or at least text you goodnight. You have to text back otherwise I won't sleep."

"Ah, taking yourself hostage I see," he mused, kicking off his shoes once they were in.

"Uh-huh. If you want me to grow up healthy and tall then you need make sure I sleep well."

He had turned, kneeling in front of her and meeting her eyes for the first time without seeing his wife. Instead he saw a beautiful, brave child who was taking care of her dad more than he had taken care of her.

"That's all I want," he said earnestly, pulling her in for a hug.

Thin arms wrapped around his shoulders, a little nose pressing into his collar. "I know Dad."

When she turned ten he drove her to the airport, heart fluttering rapidly in his chest. "Are you sure they will get you when you land?"

"Yes dad, they have everything set up to take me straight to school. They told you that when we went to visit over the summer remember? And yesterday when you called to make sure. And this morning when you called again."

The whole neighborhood had seen them off. Even Hanazawa-san had seemed teary-eyed as they said their goodbyes. Nana had given them her dorm room address so they could send her little gifts if they wanted.

"You return as a fine lady, understood?" Hanazawa-san had sniffed, handing her a collection of handkerchiefs she had made up just for this occasion.

Nana had accepted them, distaste clear on her face but eyes warm as always. "I'll come back as a fine _person_ Hanazawa-san."

The elderly woman had huffed, but her lips twitched tellingly.

"I'm sorry," Toshi ran a hand through his hair, triple checking the time to make sure they would not be late. "I just want to make sure you get there safe. I asked for time off to take you but with this time of year-"

"Dad," she tugged on his arm, pulling on him until he bent down to her height. She was getting so tall. "It'll be okay."

"I know," he hung his head.

Small hands (but not as small as they had once been, he realized sadly) smushed his cheeks together and lifted his head. She was smiling, short hair pulled back in a sunshine yellow bandana. Her front left canine was missing. "I'll be okay. You will too, I promise."

She let go of his face so she could hook their pinkies once more.

"We'll be okay," he smiled, eyes watery. "You'll call me as soon as you land?"

"I will."

"And when you get to your room?"

"I'll probably just text you for that one."

"And at night?"

"Of course!"

They had said goodbye right before she boarded her flight. Tight hugs and watery eyes, and then he was watching her walk away.

It was hard. He knew this would do them both some good, but it was so hard. Still, she deserved better. She deserved the best.

His heart caught in his throat when she turned around to wave at him, bright grin pasted on her face. He smiled just as bright, waving back just as enthusiastically.

They would both be okay.

-00-

"Window seat, nice," Nana grinned, plopping herself into her seat and tucking her backpack under her legs. She had some books from home, one from Tooru-san from down the road, and a little game console her dad had bought her specifically for this trip. She wore a short-sleeved blue shirt and a light green vest over that. Her legs were covered by the swaying dark blue skirt Hanazawa-san had made for her a few months ago. It was a girl day today.

_"Italy is where everything will begin."_

She rolled her eyes at the slithery voice in her head. "So you keep saying. I still haven't agreed with any of this."

_"Then why go?"_ he sounded amused, like her answer was already decided.

"Look, I don't want any part in whatever you're trying to do," she told him for what felt like the thousandth time. "Saving the world and all that is great, but I don't really want to have a kid okay?"

Honestly, it was hard enough coming to terms with the fact that he was now a _she_. In the past life she had always been teased by her siblings for being rather effeminate, but it was different actually being female. Human bodies were fricken weird, okay? Adjusting to male weirdness was its own hurdle, she never thought she would have to adjust to both.

_'You said you liked being a girl,'_ the ever invisible companion pointed out, sounding far too happy as per usual.

"I said I like _some_ things about being a girl. Just like I liked _some_ things about being a boy. Honestly, at this point, I wouldn't have minded the global warming thing."

_"What?"_

"Nothing. Shut up," she ordered him when her seatmate finally arrived. It was an older couple, thankfully. They seemed nice enough, and perfectly content on ignoring her.

The voice in her head ('imaginary friend', ha. She wished), which she had 'affectionately' named Snake, started talking again when she was one-year-old. He had then rambled on about the fate of the world, something called the Tri-ni-set, the Mafia, and a boy called Tsunayoshi. The boy who was, apparently, supposed to be her son.

_Her_ son. Because she was a lady. And her body could do that now.

Awesome.

Coming to terms with being a girl hadn't been as hard as she thought it would be. Her siblings had always told her she was way to relaxed and accepting of things but she had always thought big things (like being _reborn_) would be difficult to process. Puberty would be an… experience, to be sure, and sometimes his brain would switch up on the pronouns (screw you Snake) but there really wasn't anything she could do about that besides move along. So, as with all things in either life, she figured 'eh, to heck with it' and did whatever she felt she needed to.

That didn't mean she wanted to have a baby. I mean… that's supposed to hurt a lot right? And it killed her mom in this life (which made her feel absolutely horrible. Poor dad). Pregnancy was, clearly, not a great time. The baby, sure, yeah, it's adorable. He loved kids. Shit. _She_ loved kids. Would have loved to have some before, you know… the Death, but she had never, ever heard of a pregnant woman being happy about the trials and tribulations of actually having a baby. No, that part just sounded awful.

The only reason she hadn't one hundred percent shut down Snake was because… Well…

What if he was telling the truth? About the Tsuna kid? What if he was really going to save the world one day? Could she actually get in the way of that? And the kid himself, if he was going to live originally and her refusal to have kids took that from him then what did that make her?

_'When you meet Sawada Iemitsu-'_

She shoved her headphones over her head (which would do nothing, really, since he was _in her head_) to make it clear that she was ignoring him and pulled out her gaming pad to see what her Dad had put on there.

She was going to an all-girls school. She didn't plan on leaving anytime soon, and the only times she ever would, would be when she was traveling home to see her Dad. She would _not_ meet this Iemitsu guy.

-00-

When Nana turned eighteen he returned home dressed in a long sleeve, button-up blue flannel shirt and jeans. It was a boy day that day, but his Dad didn't seem to notice the change in posture or clothes. He was a little shorter than he had been in the last life (which was aggravating but doable) and he had finally come to terms with the absolute horror of puberty (he had cried for days). He was eternally thankful that he had been bisexual in the last life because that would have been a hell of a lot harder to think around than it was. Now all he had to worry about was his part in a relationship because _what the actual fuck do girls think on dates_?!

Even as a girl, he did not understand girls. Or boys. Humans were fucking weird.

Pushing those mental crises out of the way, he returned home and was ecstatic to see his Dad again. Toshi was equally ecstatic. They were both thrilled when he looked him dead in the eye and burst into a wide grin that was not tinged by sadness or grief. Only love.

Toshi stayed home to finish the late dinner he had made for them, to celebrate. Nana had run down to the convenience store for one of their traditional cakes.

There had only been one left, and he just barely got there in time to snag it before the boy that had been wandering the isles got there first.

"Ah!" he had jumped, startled when Nana whipped in front of him and snatched it away. "S-sorry, I didn't realize you-"

He had trailed off, eyes wide and face flushing a brilliant red.

Nana wondered if he was dying. "You okay?"

"I-I'm fine!" his voice cracked (and ha! That was one thing he had not missed this time around). "I-I just- here! Let me pay for that!"

Nana scrunched up his nose. "Why?"

"U-uh," he flustered, attempting several times to make eye contact and failing repeatedly. "B-because you're b-beautiful?"

Nana blinked rapidly. Wow. He had been flirted with before, even flirted back a few times, but this guy was bold as heck. Also a bit of a mess, but that was okay. He was cute.

"I'll buy it myself," he told him, almost snickering when his shoulders slumped. "What's your name?"

Shaking off the rejection (surprising, for how shy and nervous he had been), he beamed at Nana with a crooked grin.

'Ah', he realized once again. 'I am still, absolutely, gay'. Did it count as being gay if he was a girl now? He even called himself 'she' more often than 'he' in these last few months (being surrounded by girls all the time seemed to be affecting that) so maybe when the girls in the dorms made him flush it would be gay that way instead? Agh. Whatever. Not important.

"I'm Sawada Iemitsu! May I ask your name?"

...Ah.

Shit.


	2. Babies

Alright. So there were some problems. Too many problems.

Damn it all, there were _all_ the problems.

Problem #1: (The most obvious of all) He had been reincarnated as a she.

This was also the smallest of all the problems. Adjusting was weird as hell and those first few years had been an absolute pain to get used to (feeling kinda normal, then feeling ashamed about feeling normal, then feeling ashamed about feeling ashamed, and a whole slew of random ass emotions that he had to fight off to reach even a semblance of normalcy). That slowly went away and he felt good about himself. Felt good about herself too. Sometimes just felt good as an existence in general. Then puberty hit and the cycle started again but he bounced back from that one faster than the first time so yay.

Regardless, he was given a second chance at life and he wasn't going to let something like gender stop him from appreciating it damn it! Dad had been pretty cool about it too, once he had actually worked up to the nerve to, you know, verbalize his problems.

Sure the man was confused as heck, but Nana couldn't even describe the feeling he had gotten when he had come home one day to find Toshi asleep at the table reading books and looking up articles about how to support him. He cried a bit. Then Dad had woken up, started crying too, and they ended the night eating a bunch of junk and watching crappy old time movies. It was great.

The neighborhood had taken it far better than he had thought they would (he may have shouted the news loudly from his roof, seeing as how his Dad had been the only one whose opinion actually mattered to him). Especially Hanazawa-san. Like, come one. The lady had practically tired to beat femininity into him as he was growing up, what the heck? He had been all prepared, even psyched, for the whole dramatic blow up thing but all she did was huff and say "well, that explains everything", and then go on to lecture him on how to be a lady when he felt like a lady and how to be a proper gentleman when he felt like a gentleman. The heck?

Apparently she had a transgender grandson who she had been speaking with more and more over the years Nana had been away at school and the little punk had really opened her mind to things. Of course, right after Nana leaves, that's when she decides to be more open-minded about stuff.

Whatever. Either way, everything in that zone was looking up. Coolio. There had even been a time where Masaki-san (the husband, who was a little taller than four feet and was the sweetest little old man he had had ever met) had taken his cane and smacked some of the teenagers walking home for badmouthing him. Told them to learn some manners before they even thought about butting into someone else's business or he'd smack some manners into them. It was awesome. He loved the Masaki family.

So the whole 'being reborn' thing was fine. A few weird off days here and there, but all good. No problems there.

Problem #2: The _reason_ he had been reincarnated.

As mentioned before, babies were a thing. Clearly, babies were a thing that had to happen.

Yay.

He had, eventually (and with a heap ton of moody depressional ranting) come to terms with the fact that he would have to try to have a baby. The savior of the world is kind of important. He couldn't morally or rationally prevent the birth of the apparently single soul individual that would save life as we know it from biting the dust. Ergo, babies.

On the plus side, Iemitsu was cute. Kinda dumb, super klutzy, but cute. Nana had gotten a job at a little corner restaurant as a table waiter and Iemitsu would stop by _every single day_ to check in on him. Nana hasn't really gotten around to letting him know about the whole he/her/they/them thing but he would get around to it eventually. Probably. As soon as he was sure that telling the other half of the world's survival wouldn't, you know, threaten world survival.

Iemitsu was a nice guy, but you could never really tell with things like that until they actually popped up. Maybe he could introduce him to Hanazawa's grandkid and go from there.

Ugh.

Problem #3: Fucking Snake

The guy would not _shut. Up_. It wasn't even about anything important anymore! Seriously, for the first sixteen years of his life the dude was all about 'saving the world' and the 'Clam rings' or the 'Tri-ni-set' and whatever the hell a 'Yuni' was. Nana had long since learned to tune him out.

Then, when he turned fifteen, the man randomly asked him what the school lunches were like.

Like a fool, he had answered.

Since then it was like a dam had been released. Questions upon questions, inane prattle about the light reflecting off of things, random ass stories that didn't even seem to involve the man _telling them_. The man was clearly very, very lonely, and Nana would have far more sympathy for him if it weren't his fault all this shit was happening in the first place.

At least they had a shared interest in music. Those conversations were bearable.

Snake would, of course, still randomly pop in some tidbit of important information in between the bread loaves of bullshit he would usually spout, which is what has lead to the most troubling problem in Nana's mind at the moment.

Problem Number #4: When everything was supposed to go down.

Two days ago Nana had turned nineteen. He had been dating Iemitsu for a little under a year now and everything was coming up roses. It was swell. Dandy, he would go so far as to say. They held hands, snuck in some kisses during work, went on dates, all that good romantic crap without going in too deep yet. Taking it nice and slow, and Nana found he actually really liked Iemitsu.

Then Snake, the insufferable bastard that he is, decided to mention (in the middle of a monologue about the differences between historical vigilante groups and modern criminals, because why the heck not) that Sawada Tusnayoshi, the child _destined_ to save their ever crumbling world (he couldn't actually tell, cause the world looked normal as far as he could see) was supposed to be born in about a year.

A _year._

Which meant that, going by the laws of nature, he would have to be conceived in a few short months in order to arrive on time.

_Months_.

Iemitsu didn't even know he had a tattoo on his back yet (two opals to represent his brother and sister from before, wrapped in a ribbon with their old family name on it in fancy shmancy cursive) but they were supposed to create life in a few months?!

Snake, ignoring his plight, had just continued right on with his one-sided conversation as though he had not just dropped a bomb into his life yet again.

So here he was. Stuffed into the furthest bathroom stall in the restaurant, an hour after his shift, trying to create mental lists of things so that he wouldn't hyperventilate and pass out.

Mondays were always awesome.

Okay, first things first. He needed to cancel the date to the movies tonight. Iemitsu would be disappointed; he'd wanted to see whatever the hell they were going to see for months now (the name was slipping from his mind in between shouts of BABIES, LADY PARTS, DEAR GOD SEX?!), but he would be understanding about it. Probably reschedule for another time.

Then he would go home, hop into his comfiest pajamas, and curl up into a burrito on his bed until all the bad shit went away.

Foolproof.

-00-

The plan, unlike most things in his life, went off without a hitch. He'd even gotten the next day off after his boss had seen him leaving and commented on how sickly he had looked. Toshi had gotten back late and after seeing all the lights off had just assumed Nana was asleep and had gone straight to bed.

Everything was great.

Everything was fine.

Nana was curled up underneath his bed, crying big ugly tears into the stuffed platypus (fondly named Plat) he had gotten from his dorm mate for his eleventh birthday. Even in his last life he had been an ugly crier, and it seems death has only made the problem worse. He could feel the snot and crap building up in his nose and slowly crawling down his throat to strangle his lungs. Strands of hair were plastered to his face, some curling over his eyes, some into his mouth, and one really annoying piece tickling the line of his nose. He was too panicky to do anything about it though, so the hairs stayed were they were, pressed like flowers in a book against his feverishly warm, sweat-slicked skin.

_"You're going to make yourself sick,"_ Snake helpfully informed him.

He cried even harder out of pure spite.

Did you know the human body doesn't really ever 'run out' of tears? Cause he sure does now. It had been, what, four-five hours and he was still spewing an insane amount of crap from his eyes? Sure, there were intervals where he would calm down a bit and the tears would slow. Then Snake, the very best friend one could ask for in troubled times, would remind him of why he was there and he would burst into tears to repeat the cycle.

What a dick.

Still, being dehydrated was always crappy and it gave him the worst kinds of headaches so he really should at least try to stay hydrated.

Army crawling his way out Nana pawed at his face to get his hair out of the way. Placing Plat carefully on top of the bed he coughed hoarsely. His Dad was a heavy sleeper so there was no need to worry about waking him up.

Stretching out the kinks of being curled up in a confined space for hours he sniffled, willing back the most recent wave of panic. His hands were trembling and his entire face hurt but overall he didn't feel too badly. Hydrating and snacking, then returning to the pit.

The sound of a knock on his window startled him so badly he slipped on the tail of the blanket that had been dangling down on the floor, tangling it around his feet so that he was flapping around like a flightless bird, sending Plat soaring through the air and himself tumbling to the ground.

There was a second, more urgent knock and Nana struggled to get up.

"Please be a tree, please be a tree, please be a tree," he chanted, flopping around to free himself. He'd seen enough horror movies to know that knocks on the window at midnight often came hand in hand with murder, especially when you don't actually have any friends that would come calling like that.

When he was finally up, breathing erratically and looking extremely rumpled he turned warily towards the window.

It wasn't a tree branch.

It was, however, not a murderer or monster villain looking to stab him.

Iemitsu stared through at him worriedly, a guilty smile tugging at his lips.

Nana stared at him, blinking rapidly to make sure he wasn't an illusion, before stepping over to unlatch the window.

"Are you okay?" Iemitsu asked the second he could slip in. "I saw you fall, did you hit your head?"

Nana found his gaze drawn towards the outrageously large backpack the blond was hauling in after him.

"Iemitsu," he sighed tiredly, running a hand over his face. "What are you doing here?"

Gentle hands nudged him back towards the bed, encouraging him to sit down. Nana allowed it, mostly because his legs were still shaky from the sudden loss of adrenaline.

"I'm sorry I scared you," Iemitsu frowned, brushing his hair away from his forehead. "You're burning up."

_'Take that Snake, you son of a bitch,'_ Nana thought vindictively. It wasn't like Snake got sick when he did, but just going against the man's advice in general felt like a worthy goal in life.

Iemitsu was rummaging around the backpack, throwing things he didn't need out of the way. Nana felt his eyebrows rise at the growing pile of things being formed on the floor.

Dried fruit snacks, small juice bottles, several water bottles, a laptop with a DVD connection port, a concerning amount of old-time comedies, some books, a thin blanket, hand warmers, cough drops, cough syrup, and a heating pad were shoved to the side.

"Ah-ha!" Iemitsu cheered, pulling out three containers. Nana blinked at the Advil, cold compresses, and tin of chicken noodle soup.

"What's all this?" He tilted his head, heart fluttering a bit.

Iemitsu got to work on opening the medicine first. "After you canceled I went to the Café to at least walk you home and make sure you were okay but your boss said you had already left. He said you weren't looking so good so he gave you a few days off. I went shopping for some things I thought you might need."

Nana flushed even redder, feet brushing together as he looked down and to the side. "…You didn't have to do that."

Warm fingers uncurled his own, placing an already open bottle of water in one hand and two small pills in the other.

"Of course I did," Iemitsu smiled warmly, making sure to catch his eye before moving on to the cold compresses. "I'm just glad you came out when you did. I figured if I waited long enough you would go to sleep, but I was beginning to think you might have fallen asleep on the couch or something."

Nana blinked, trying to process that as he downed the pills. "Iemitsu, how long were you waiting out there?"

And how much of the disaster that was his meltdown did he see? Nothing from when he was under the bed, but he was sure he had still been crying a bit when he crawled out.

He laughed, waving the question away. "Come on, let's get you settled. I brought all your favorite movies!"

Nana found he couldn't argue when the enthusiastic blonde smoothed the compress over his forehead and started setting up the pillows for them to be able to lie back comfortably. He could feel the tears welling in his eyes again, but for a completely different reason. He tried to hold them back but when Iemitsu reached over and readjusted the straps of his tank top that had fallen, carefully keeping his eyes diverted as he did so, he couldn't stop the small sob from escaping.

"Nana? Are you okay?"

Nana nodded, reaching out and making grabby hands until Iemitsu got closer and then clutched on to him like a lifeline. He tucked his face into the crook of his neck, relaxing when Iemitsu's fingers began to card through his short hair comfortingly.

"You're really nice," Nana huffed softly.

"You deserve really nice things," Iemitsu responded happily, humming as they sat together.

Well shit. Here he was trying to wallow in his own misery and along comes his boyfriend to destroy all of his plans.

"Are you hungry?" Iemitsu murmured, head leaning against his own. "I've got a few different soups if you're up for it."

Nana rolled his eyes, smiling. "You literally set the stove on fire, I'm not letting you near the kitchen unsupervised."

"I don't want you to have to get up-"

Nana leaned back slowly, patting his face and scratching at the bit of stubble there as he went. "I'm already feeling a lot better, and some movement would help. We can make it together, okay?"

Iemitsu looked like he wanted to protest but when Nana blinked at him patiently he folded. "Alright. That way sounds more fun anyway."

"Damn straight."

They giggled quietly together as they cooked (throwing stuff into the microwave totally counted as cooking, shut up) Nana making sure to soak up the easy affection Iemitsu seemed to radiate.

They curled up back on the bed, surrounded by Nana's collection of unnecessarily long pillows and blankets (they had the one Iemitsu brought thrown over their laps).

Nana texted his Dad, letting him know that he had started feeling sick late into the night and that Iemitsu had been willing to go grab some things for him so that the poor man didn't panic when they inevitably fell asleep.

Toshi peeked in on them before he left for work, torn between feeling relieved that his child trusted him enough to tell him when they had a significant other over instead of sneaking around to see them and protective that they had spent the night together unsupervised.

He smiled warmly when he saw them leaning against each other, Nana drooling a bit and Iemitsu snoring heavily. Dried mangos were littered across the blankets, a laptop playing the opening title sequence of some foreign movie on repeat settled near the foot of the bed. There was a pile of tissues piled next to Nana but when he went over to resettle the blankets over the two he was happy to note that they didn't have a fever.

Snapping a quick picture he sent it to Nana for later, leaving them a note about when he would be back (with a side note warning Iemitsu to behave himself) before heading out.

A few hours later Nana blinked their way to wakefulness, scrubbing at the sandpaper eye crusts gluing their eyelids together. They smiled a little dopily at the blond next to them, brushing a hand through his hair and playing with the strands.

Things still sucked. Nana was still completely unable to mentally cope with the idea of having a child, but they had at least one part of the equation down.

Iemitsu was sweet. He was very kind and he clearly cared for them a lot. Nana kind of loved him a bit, and that went a long way in helping.

Things sucked, but they would get better.

-00-

It wouldn't be until a couple years later, when she was singing her Tsuna to sleep after a nightmare, that she would realize even the strongest love could have limits. That love and trust did not always walk hand in hand. That while Iemitsu was off in another country, apparently trying to 'protect' them from what he saw as a threat she was left raising their son alone with a rare phone call or text to let her know he was even alive.

She loved him. She probably always would. She couldn't even completely blame him. Snake had explained what it was he was doing, why exactly he was staying away, and while she could try to empathize with what he was trying to do there would always be a part of her that resented him for not telling her anything. A part that was bitter and a bit betrayed that he had picked his other family, his Famiglia, over them. A part of her that looked in the mirror sometimes and saw a woman where there should be a man, a person that should never have even existed in the first place, and a parent that just wanted the best for their son.

She loved Iemitsu, but they both made their choice. He chose the Vongola.

She chose Tsuna.


	3. Choices

**Iemitsu is making a choice**

**Nana meets some unfairly attractive people. Because anime law dictates that everyone is a 12/10**

**Nana makes a choice**

**-00-**

Choices

**-00-**

Babies happened.

Or, more accurately, one baby happened.

Nana, being the calm, rationalized mind that she was decided that the best course of action to prevent herself from having a mental breakdown of epic proportions (thus turning her cuckoo crazy) was to pretend that the pregnancy part of it all never actually happened.

That's right, it was struck from the history books.

There was no morning sickness, bloated everything, bathroom breaks every five fucking seconds, or any of that shit! She certainly did not cry all the time for lame ass reasons, or snap at Iemitsu (sometimes Toshi) for basically just breathing. Although, to be fair, Iemitsu had this weird kind of nasally breathing whenever he got excited so that part was really his fault. Toshi had no reason to fret over her and drive himself into stress filled insanity for fear of her dying like her mother. Not once did she cry over the fact that the tree at the park she always used to climb got cut down because it was literally falling apart. She _certainly_ didn't break two bones in Iemitsu's hand when she inevitably went into labor and potentially scarred the entire medical personnel in the room with her vivid imagination and colorful language.

Nope. None of that happened.

Iemitsu and her had some shmexy times (which was horrible, then so sweet she thought she'd get cavities, before being fucking awesome, pun completely intended), filled in an order form for Baby Co. and now here she was in the hospital with their newly delivered baby boy. Like every other human being on the planet did.

She would never have to remember the truth in the future anyway. Besides little Tsunayoshi she had absolutely no intentions to have another biological baby. She was a huge advocate for adoption, so if the time ever came for it that would be the way to go!

Now that that was all done and taken care of she could turn her mind away from eternal mental scarring (man or woman, having a baby was absolutely horrifying) in order to focus on the thing that was most important.

Squishy baby cheeks.

"Look at you," Nana cooed, cuddling the little bundle closer to her chest. She brushed over his face gently with one hand, marveling at the warmth and life coming from the tiny bean. "Aww, you've got Iemitsu's ugly little scrunch face when he's upset, you're so adorable~"

Iemitsu made an affronted noise from somewhere off to her left. "He's not _ugly_ Nana, he's an absolute angel!"

"All babies are ugly when they're first born Iemitsu," Nana informed him, brushing a kiss across their son's forehead. "That's what makes them so flippin cute. With their little smush faces, and their big little noses." She brushed over said nose, heart clenching painfully when he sniffled. "Oh, I think I might actually have a heart attack. This is too much-"

"I can take him!" Iemitsu scooted forwards excitedly, arms held out.

"Let me die happy Iemitsu!" she scolded him, hugging Tsuna closer to her heart.

The door slid open with a crash, startling the three and causing Tsuna to begin to whine.

"Dying?!" Toshi was pale, hands trembling against the wood of the door as he looked her over. "Nana, darling, are you okay? Where are the doctors?! Doctor!"

Normally Nana would do her level best to comfort her father, explaining that it was just another case of her morbid humor, but she was too busy marveling at the newborn baby scent and chubby little fingers in front of her. Besides, Iemitsu could handle that.

Tsuna had stopped sniffling, nearing a bout of tears from the loud noises, and peeked his eyes open. The doctors had told them that he wouldn't actually be able to make out any distinguishable shapes until his retinas were more developed but she couldn't help but feel that he was seeing everything around him.

"Good morning little baby," she whispered, placing her forehead against his. He reached out reflexively, stubby fingers patting at her cheeks. "Look at those big eyes."

His eyes were a light blue, but the doctors had mentioned that the color might change. Nana gasped lightly when they flickered orange for a moment.

"What the-," she breathed, squinting at him and tilting her head. Had that been a trick of the light?

_'That was the manifestation of his flames.'_

Ugh. This asshole.

"You promised not to bother me today," she thought angrily at him. "Fuck off Snake."

There was an echoing chuckle but the man stayed silent after that.

"Welcome to the world little Tsuna," she smiled, pressing light little kisses across his face.

Chubby little fingers bumped into her face, folding and uncurling experimentally as he felt her cheeks, nose, and over her eyes.

The telltale sound of camera noises was sounding in the background but the fluttering little heart next to her ears easily drowned them out.

Every moment, in the last life and the one she was in now, was worth it purely for this moment. Purely for this little boy.

-00-

**One year later**

The video started with the world spinning as the camera was twisted around by inexperienced hands.

"How do you- what? Is that it? Is it on? Jesus this thing is old as hell. For the love of- where are the instructions?! Oh. Wait. Green means on right? Right. Probably. Okay."

Nana's face popped onto the screen, smile wide and as bright as the sun. Her hair was pulled back, the free flying strands held in place by a dark purple bandana.

"Greetings! We are here today to see the mighty Tuna-fish in its natural habitat. Just now it is exploring its new surroundings, trying to figure out the best napping spots and most interesting things to eat."

The camera turned again, this time focusing on a small baby boy in nothing but a diaper. His warm brown eyes were bright with interest as the camera got closer, a bright yellow binky in his mouth.

"Say hello little Tuna~" Nana sang, her fingers wiggling into view to tap a light beat across his belly. Peals of baby giggles echoed out, the baby wiggling around and trying to grab at her hands.

Nana was laughing in response, pulling back to let him catch his breath. The camera turned towards her once more, her expression still bright but a flatness dulling the look in her eyes.

"He's going to start talking soon. And walking. Living his life. It would be a real shame if you missed that."

The fall of her smile highlighted the bags under her eyes and the lines of exhaustion etched into her skin.

"He could really use his dad, you know? And I-" she trailed off, eyes glancing to the side. She looked down. The edges of her eyes crinkled with unfaltering warmth and love. "Well, I've got him so I'm okay. But I'd be better if I wasn't doing this by myself. Dad helps as much as he can, and the others try to call every once in awhile at least, but… You need to come home sometimes, okay? I'm trying my best but I have no idea what I'm doing. If I'm ruining anything. It'd be a lot better if we could check each other. Keep each other from keeling over and just… supporting each other. Like we were supposed to. Like you promised."

The camera was shaking a bit when she looked back at it, expression blank.

"I need you Iemitsu. Right here, right now. You need to let me know if you can be here because if you can't-," she cut herself off, closing her eyes and sighing. "Just… let me know. If you can't be honest about where you are at least be honest about _this_. I deserve that much."

The room around her was silent. She was looking away again, small burbling sounds coming from off to the side. Shaking her head she gave the camera one last, tiny smile.

"Stay safe Mitsu. You have people waiting for you."

Iemitsu closed his laptop with a click. His office was dead silent. Normally he would be able to hear the others moving around outside, either fixing or causing some kind of mess he'd have to inevitably deal with later.

There was nothing. Just him.

Slowly he lowered his face into his hands and breathed.

Just breathed.

-00-

**One year later**

"Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday dear Tsunaaaa~ Happy birthday to you~"

The fluffy haired boy pursed his lips and tried to blow out the candles, his lips vibrating instead of letting any of the air out. Behind him Toshi leaned down and let out one big puff of air. The candles went out and Tsuna let out a high-pitched squeal, giggling happily.

"Good job!" Nana swooped in to smother his face with kisses causing him to squeal even louder.

"Ah, Nana-san-," Masaki-san (the wife) tried to warn her but it was too late.

Tsuna's hand hit the cake, smothering it with icing, before immediately moving to push at her face.

"abdbleh," Nana shook her head when she found her face suddenly covered in frosting. "Tsuna," she gasped, hand reaching out to the side. "How could you? This means revenge!"

Scooping up some frosting of her own she smeared a little bit on his cheeks.

"Nuuuuu!" he laughed, wiggling away.

"Oh, come now Nana," Toshi grinned. Nana nodded before whipping around and pushing some onto his face as well.

"Ack!"

Hanazawa-san sighed, shaking her head at the messy family in front of her. Ridiculous. Her eyes flicked over to the clock.

"Nana-chan," she called out strongly, making the three _children_ freeze. "Our flight leaves in three hours."

"Oh shiiiii-p. Ship. Right. Let's do presents!"

The party wasn't very big. Some cheap streamers and a smiley-faced balloon were the only real decorations. Nana had splurged a bit on the cake, making sure to get the tastiest looking one, but she hadn't really had enough to get more if she still wanted to get him a gift.

Toshi kept offering to help her with finances, and while she never turned down his gifts she always turned down the money. He was getting closer to retirement; she wanted him to be able to do so easily.

Besides her Dad, the Masaki family had shown up as well as, surprisingly, Hanazawa-san. Somehow Nana had managed to worm her way in the old woman's wrinkled old heart permanently.

"Nana," Toshi whispered, catching her by the arm as Hanazawa set about cleaning Tsuna up. His face was frowning, eyes worried. "Sweetheart, I hope you don't mind me asking but, well, is Iemitsu-"

He trailed off, the words hanging awkwardly.

"He's not coming," Nana said hollowly. "He sent a gift in the mail, for all its worth, but he apparently has better things to do."

"Nana."

She reached up, patting the hand holding her with a brittle smile. "It's okay Dad. I'm starting to realize this just might be a thing that is always going to happen."

"If you need I can-"

"No. No, that's okay. If I really need help I'll ask for it, but I want to try to do this on my own okay? I… I _need_ to know I can do this on my own."

Toshi's frown deepened. A wave of rare, boiling anger was starting to brew at the thought of his grandson's father.

Small hands (that used to be so much smaller, oh how they had grown) reached up to smush his cheeks.

"Hey," she grinned, brighter this time. "I'll be fine Dad. You will be too. I promise."

His heart melted just a little bit more. Bending down he placed a quick kiss on their head, wrinkling his nose when he caught some frosting on the way.

"You know," he mused, "I saw a lovely park on the way over here. Have the two of you been there yet?"

Nana shrugged. "Not really. I didn't really want to take Tsuna out too much until his immune system was stronger. We can probably start going out more now though."

Toshi nodded, motioning for the others to grab their gifts and head for the door. "Well, today seems like the perfect time to start. Go wash your face and we can move this party there."

Nana stuck her tongue at him. "You too then, you've got way more frosting covering you than I do."

He laughed, following after her to the restroom. He hoped to run into Iemitsu soon. He had a few… _words_ to say to that boy.

-00-

"…Damn it," Nana cursed, holding up the lion onesie the idiot had sent. "I was hoping it was something really ugly so I could just throw it away." She flicked the furred hood with ears. "Ugh. This would look _adorable_. Damn you."

-00-

**Six months later**

"Duck!" Tsuna cried excitedly from his stroller, leaning over as far as his seatbelt would allow. "Duck!"

Nana glanced over and smiled. "So close Tsu-kun! That's a Goose. Can you say Goose?"

"Gloose!"

"Close enough," he nodded.

They were taking a stroll around town before heading to the store for more diapers. Potty training was turning out to be an… event.

A delicious smell caught Nana halfway down the street. His stomach started making unholy gurgling noises.

"Papa, noms?" Tsuna peeked back at him.

Nana clenched the fabric of his hoodie over his heart as it squeezed tight against the adorableness of his son.

"I am pretty hungry little buddy. Wanna grab some sushi?"

"Suppi!"

"Su-sh-i."

"Supshi!"

"You're getting there bud."

When they walked into the little restaurant Nana almost melted at the delicious smells wafting through the room.

"Oh, that smells delicious."

"Delibous."

"You are on a roll today," Nana smiled, cheering him on. Tsuna grinned up at him brightly.

"Welcome!" a loud, boisterous voice called. A somehow equally lanky yet muscular man was at the counter, his short black hair held back by a white band around his forehead. Nana glanced at the muscles shown off when he crossed his arms, the apron doing absolutely nothing to hide how ripped this guy was.

"You are _really_ muscled for a sushi chef."

Ah yes. Brain to mouth filter, always sure to fail in every single daily encounter.

Thankfully the man took no offense and just grinned even wider. "Thank you! I work hard to stay in shape!"

"I can see that," Nana nodded, rolling Tsuna over. Big brown eyes peered up at the chef curiously.

"Oh, hello there little one," his voice got significantly softer. "Hmm, you know you look about my son's age!"

Before Nana could reply (could he, perhaps, snag Tsuna a friend this fine day?) the back swaying door flicked open and the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen strolled out carrying two large stacks of plates.

"Are you bragging about Takeshi again?" she scolded playfully, long black hair swaying around her like a dance Nana swore to God. "Oh my! Look at this handsome little fellow!"

Tsuna giggled, blushing and hiding his face when she set the plates down so she could kneel in front of him.

"Aw, he's got his mama's big eyes," she cooed, glancing up with a grin.

Tsuna frowned a little bit. "Papa," he corrected.

Nana was, honestly and without shame, about to die.

"I'mNana!" he said as though the words had been punched out of him. This wasn't right. This wasn't _fair_. He had to come here all the time now.

"Yamamoto Tsuyoshi," the man laughed. "A pleasure to meet you. This is my wife Aiko."

"Hello," Aiko stood, bowing towards him.

Nana bowed back quickly. "Nice to meet you."

He needed to see their son. With parents like these their baby would look like a _model_. "You said your kiddo was Tsuna's age? He's two and a half right now."

"Tsuna," Aiko mumbled under her breath as her husband puffed up with pride. "Adorable."

"Our boy'll turn three here in a few months. His name's Takeshi!"

Aiko turned back towards the door she had entered from. "He's playing in his little playpen right now, why don't I bring him out and the two can play together while you eat?"

"Sure," Nana said as casually as he could. Which meant his voice pitching up like it had suddenly got hit with a rough dose of helium.

Either the couple didn't notice or were far too kind to mention his failure at normal human communication. Whichever it was Nana decided to save himself some embarrassment and turned to get Tsuna out of the stroller.

"Papa, noms?" he repeated his earlier question, patting Nana's stomach as he lifted him up and out.

"Getting there buddy," he ruffled his hair, setting him down and nudging the stroller out of the way. "You want some soup?"

"Oup."

Nana squinted at him. "I know you can make your 's' sounds just fine, now you're doing it on purpose."

Tsuna blinked up at him with big, innocent eyes.

Before Nana could call him out for his complete bullshit (with more child appropriate wording of course) Aiko strolled back in with a child that very well could have been the embodiment of light for how big his smile was.

Dear _God_. These people were those ones you'd find in the picture frames at the stores. The ones where you knew each person was hand picked from completely different families because there was no possible way that amount of picturesque beauty could actually exist as one cohesive unit. And yet, here they stood. The muscular father with a boyish grin and kind eyes, the gorgeous and graceful wife with eyes so bright they were blinding, and the little baby boy that may have actually been delivered by flippin angels themselves.

Nana and Tsuna, in a moment of complete telepathic understanding, turned their heads away before they could be blinded.

Tsuna babbled incoherently, throwing his hands up.

"I _know_," Nana agreed vehemently.

Tsuna and Takeshi, unsurprisingly, hit it off. Takeshi had a bit of a wider vocabulary but Tsuna had a way of getting his point across exactly how he wanted to and before long the two were playing with a handful of stuffed animals and picture books Aiko had brought in from the back. Nana constantly flipped his attention from watching his son bond with his first ever friend to the two adults that made him nervous just looking at them. They were super cool though, and it was really nice to be able to talk to other parents. He would definitely have to start visiting more. It'd make his heart stronger too. Less prone to leaping directly out of his throat when someone outrageously attractive so much as walked in his peripheral line of sight.

A month later he ran into the Hibari family and passed out.

-00-

"Iemitsu, holy shit," Nana babbled to the camera, vaguely providing blurry shots of the new baby blue painted walls of Tsuna's room as the boy snored softly from his bed. He was picking up the toys haphazardly strewn about the floor, whispering so as not to disturb the little fluff ball.

"Look, you can't get mad okay? I mean, you would totally agree with me, because holy _shit_! This town is, like, the calling grounds for models. I'm not joking, I literally saw a man so beautiful I started crying. I even passed out because his wife joined him and it was just… too much. Like damn. They took me to the hospital and I met their son which was, uh, you know what? Not important. Point is, I sent you actual photographic evidence so that you would feel miserable knowing that there were all these beautiful people around here and you are stuck where ever the hell you are with _none of that_."

He stepped out of the room, the camera catching one last glimpse of the sleeping toddler before it clicked shut.

"That's your big clue that I'm mad, by the way. In case you missed it. One call a month doesn't do jack shit Iemtisu. Seriously. I get you're busy with your job, and I don't want to pull you away if it's something actually important but if you don't tell me anything then what the fuck am I supposed to think? He's almost three, he's talking so much lately it's like he's a little language sponge, and he tried to race me the other day! He fell over three times just getting to the couch, but he tried so hard! It was adorable and you missed it. You're missing all of this and it is only by the goodness of my ever-shrinking heart that you even have a little peek into his life."

Nana stopped walking, the camera rising so he could look straight at it. His hair was a bit longer now, pulled back into a messy bun. He still looked tired but far less pale. He wasn't glaring. Just frowning, eyes turned down at the corners.

"I love you Iemtisu. I really, truly do. But if this is going to be how things are now, where you won't even tell me that you _can't tell me anything_ then I don't know how this is going to work. You can keep your secrets if you have to, okay? Everyone has them, and that's _okay_. But don't lie to me. Don't make up some story you think will make me feel better. It won't."

He sighed heavily, looking down and to the side. "Think about it okay? I'm giving you a lot of options but you actually have to make a choice. I… I don't actually have anything else to say about that. You've heard it all already."

Closing his eyes for a moment he shook his head. Looking back up he offered a small, close-mouthed smile.

"Stay safe Mitsu. Come home soon."

-00-

Iemitsu tapped his mouse furiously. The pointer hovered over the attachments to the video.

Several pictures popped up, taking up most of the room on his screen.

He could feel his mouth drop open.

Nana had to have photoshopped these. These people couldn't possibly be _real_.

-00-

That summer Iemitsu came home with his boss tagging along for the ride. He was a kindly looking elderly man and Nana felt a little better knowing who her husband was actually working for.

She went to the kitchen to get them all drinks.

_'He's going to seal his flames away.'_ Snake suddenly warned her, voice filled with an urgency she had never heard from him.

She hadn't needed Snake's endless lectures on how this world worked to know that meant something bad. She had rushed back into the main room where the old man was crouched in front of her son, Iemitsu standing a few feet away. There was a little flame on Tsuna's head, slowly growing smaller and smaller until it disappeared.

Tackling the old man out of the way she scooped Tsuna into her arms and backed away from the two men.

Iemitsu rushed to his boss's side, panicked and shouting for her to calm down.

_"Get. Out."_ She growled, shoulders curled defensively as Tsuna clung to her shirt. He didn't seem hurt, and his fear seemed to come more from her reaction than whatever they had done, but she wanted them gone.

"Nana-" Iemitsu lifted his hands in a show of peace.

Nana kicked her slipper off her foot so that it hit him square in the face.

"Get out. Now."

Iemitus moved to talk to her again but the old man placed his hand on his shoulder and shook his head. She was miffed that he didn't even seem slightly inconvenienced by being thrown to the ground.

She didn't move until they were gone, Iemtisu turning his head to look back at her with wide, pleading eyes every five seconds. The door clicked shut and she scrambled to check Tsuna over for injuries.

"Tsuna, sweetheart, are you hurt? Does anything feel bad?"

"No Papa," he shook his head, eyes teary.

Her breath caught in her throat. She had been 'Papa' that morning but she should have been 'Mama' now. Tsuna always knew. She didn't know how, but he always did.

"What did they do to you?" her voice broke.

_'They sealed his flames away,'_ Snake informed her, oddly serious for a man that only ever sounded vaguely amused. _'It took away his Hyper Intuition.'_

"What does that mean?!" her eyes burned. Tsuna looked up at her in alarm, tiny hands coming up as though he could physically hold back her tears.

"Papa?"

_'It means they sealed away a part of who he is. He'll never feel completely normal. At this age especially it will start to affect his development.'_

Rage, potent and boiling filled her so suddenly she thought she might scream. Soft fingers poked at her cheeks.

"Papa, no cry," Tsuna sniffled, pushing her lips up to make her smile. "No cry."

"Tsu-kun," she closed her eyes, pain warring with anger. "Baby, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have left you alone."

Tsuna hugged her, and she returned the embrace fiercely. Burying her face in his hair she breathed deeply.

_'What can I do?'_ Nana demanded. _'How do I fix this?'_

There was a hum in the back of her head, full of sudden interest. It flipped up so many red flags she couldn't even count but…

_'As you are now you can not do anything.'_

_'But there is a way,'_ she caught on.

_'There is,'_ Snake agreed, voice as slimy as his name._ 'You'll have to access your own flames first of course. As a start.'_

Nana blinked away the fuzziness in her eyes, leaning back to look Tsuna in the face. His eyes were red, hair even more askew than usual. He looked at her like she had all the answers in the world.

"Papa, okay?"

"Yes sweetie," she leaned down, brushing a kiss across his head. "I'm okay. You will be too. I promise."

_'Tell me what to do.'_

-00-

When the divorce papers came in the mail Iemitsu could only stare, uncomprehending, at his wife's signature and the short, harshly scribbled note tagged next to it.

**Do not come back.**

**-00-**

**The next handful of chapters are done and good to go but I've gotta run so they'll be up a bit later. Hope you've enjoyed it so far!**


	4. Mountain Climber

**Tsuna enjoys a sleepover.**  
**Nana climbs a mountain and comes face to face with a terrifying beast.**  
**The Yamamoto's are a gift, as per usual.**  
**Hibari.**

**-00-**

Mountain Climber

**-00-**

**How to Climb a Mountain**

**By: Sawada Nana**

**1\. Find a Mountain (with a capital M)**

"There's no way this has been here the whole time," Nana placed their hands on their hips, squinting up through the dark. "I mean, it's a _mountain_. I feel like you should be able to see this from town."

_"It is possible that taller buildings blocked your view,"_ Snake yawned.

"Oh, I'm _sorry_," Nana scowled. "Is it too early for you?"

**2\. Get up so long before the sun it may as well be night time**

_"Not at all."_ There was a suspicious slurping sound.

"Are you- Are you drinking something right now?" Nana blinked, incredulous. "You mother fucker, if you're sipping down some coffee right now after forcing my ass out here at these unnatural hours I swear to God I'll set an alarm for three in the morning every single day and scream in my head until you feel my pain!"

_"Please don't."_

**3\. Get a babysitter**

Thank all that was good in the world that the Yamamoto's had the hearts of actual saints. Tsuna had spent the night and would be in their care until the evening. They were the best.

Nana craned their head to look up at the peak of the mountain.

"Ohhh, that's so high..." they whispered in agony. "How high do I have to climb?"

_"The top."_

The only thing stopping them from turning around and storming out of there was the memory of Tsuna tripping over his own feet every three steps. It was like his development had gone backwards and he could barely walk in a straight line anymore. He was still picking up on new words and how to speak pretty well but there were clear signs that he was struggling more now. It wasn't coming to him as easily as it had been.

Nana shook their head. Thinking about it wouldn't help. Actions would.

However...

"Are you out of your mind?! I can't just-" a firm crunch filled their ears.

Nana bit the inside of their cheek, feeling the blood rush to them.

"There better be a carnivorous beast munching on its most recent meal around here because if you are eating breakfast right now while I'm standing here with my own stomach trying to devour itself-"

_"I told you to eat something before we left."_

"No! No you didn't! You said bring snacks! I literally bought twenty packs of Fruit Gushers and a sippy cup hat!"

There was a small pause. _"Why did you buy a 'sippy cup' hat?"_

"Because they were out of sippy cup backpacks!"

**4\. Google ways to safely climb up a Mountain**

They huffed angrily. Pushing away the need to strangle something they dug through their pockets and pulled out a multi-folded piece of paper.

"Okay," they sighed, flicking it open. " Okay, this is fine. Completely normal. From what I've gathered we have skipped a hell of a lot of steps though. Like the training, the gear we need, and actually researching the place I'm going to be climbing. Aren't you supposed to start with tiny hills before moving up to huge mountains anyway?"

Snake sounded entirely disinterested in the entire conversation, the bastard.

_"The added danger will speed up your training."_

"It will speed up my _death_ is what it'll do," they snipped.

There was a long, very put upon sounding sigh.

"Don't you sigh at me," Nana growled, poking their finger in the air. "What the hell am I supposed to think when it's called _Dying Will_?"

**5\. Actually climb the Mountain**

_"If you don't start climbing now you'll be late to pick up Tsuna for dinner,"_ he informed them helpfully.

Nana, in all their paternal glory, started towards the mountain mumbling every curse and swear they knew.

_"Is that really the language you should be using as a parent?"_

Nana would have flipped him off if it hadn't meant flipping themselves off at the same time. Instead, being the bigger person, they ignored him and looked for the easiest route up.

**6\. Try not to die**

_'Don't worry Tsu-kun,'_ Nana thought, lifting herself up onto a rounded ledge near the bottom. _'I'll figure this out.'_

**These rules are only for those who find themselves lacking in common self-preservation instincts whose only hope is the stubborn determination to unlock mythical abilities that sound totally fake. Please do not try these at home.**

-00-

Aiko walked on the sides of her feet, slowly creeping down the hallway towards Takeshi's room. It was a rare day where she woke up before Tsuyoshi for once and, after spending a decent amount of time staring at the silly faces he made in his sleep, she decided to check up on the boys.

She had to be absolutely silent. Takeshi had apparently inherited his father's light sleeping patterns and even the softest brush of noise would wake him. Luckily, she had years of practice and while she could still never sneak up on her husband it was far easier to escape her son's notice.

With slow, deliberate movements she carefully slid the door open just enough to peek her head in.

Both Takeshi and Tsuna were collapsed on the futon closest to the wall, toys littered around them. Tsuna was flopped across Takeshi's stomach, twisted in such an odd way his foot was almost in the taller boy's face. Takeshi was spread out like a starfish with his mouth wide open and a bit of drool trailing down his cheek.

_'Precious.'_

Leaving the door cracked (the click of it closing it would be far too loud) she made her way downstairs to the kitchen to begin getting ready for the day. Tuesdays were always a bit slow so she could take it easy.

"Good morning," Tsuyoshi grinned at her brightly from where he was sharpening the knives.

Aiko huffed. Of course he beat her down. It didn't matter that the hallway upstairs was a straight shot and he would have had to slip by her completely unnoticed, he always found a way.

"How were the boys?"

"Dead to the world," she hip bumped him to the side so she could wash her hands. "I'm so glad they are getting along."

"Mh," Tsuyoshi agreed, lifting the knife and twisting it this way and that in the light with a judging eye. "How was Nana-san when they dropped by?"

Aiko sighed. "Tired. Upset. I'm not quite sure what happened but, well... they weren't wearing their wedding ring anymore."

He frowned. "That might not mean anything, perhaps they just forgot."

Aiko shook her head. "They haven't worn it for a few days at least. Every time I see them it's not there. Nana seems so tired all the time and I think whatever happened is affecting little Tsuna-chan too. I couldn't even keep track of how many times he almost fell over yesterday."

"Perhaps he is a little klutzy."

"Not like this," she glanced back at the stairs. Heaving a heavy sigh she brushed the thoughts away from now. "I'll try to talk to them when they come by later."

"I'm sure they'll appreciate it."

They continued prepping in silence, moving around each other with the ease of everyday experience. Small little thumps drew their gaze towards the stairs.

Takeshi and Tsuna were both sitting, sliding down the stairs one step at a time as they mumbled to each other tiredly.

"Good morning boys," Aiko smiled, just finished setting up the little table tucked into the corner for breakfast. She lifted them both into the chairs, scooting them in so they could reach their plates easily.

Tsuna grabbed his spoon and started in on his soup, Takeshi bypassing all silverware and just grabbing a handful of rice to stuff in his mouth.

Aiko reached over and grabbed his hand, wrapping his fingers around the handle of his own spoon with a stern look. He just smiled up at her, rice stuck to his chin. He was lucky he hadn't broken the egg yolk when he had just shoved his whole hand in "Honestly Takeshi, where are your manners? Look at Tsuna-chan!"

Which was the exact wrong thing to say because when she turned to look at the brunette he had food all over his face and some of his soup was spilled over onto the table.

Takeshi giggled and flicked his spoon so that a good portion of his rice flew back at him and either stuck to him or fell to the floor.

Aiko pursed her lips. Tsuyoshi laughed broadly behind her.

"You're cleaning this up," she let him know, urging the children to actually eat their food instead of playing it with it.

-00-

Did you know that Oxygen is actually toxic? Not to an extreme degree, clearly, but enough that it does steadily erode away the body. Nana had never really believed that, or more truthfully just didn't see a reason to believe it when they knew that air was a necessity for life.

They believed it now.

_"...Can't...breath...,"_ they wheezed, arms shaking like paper in the wind as they pulled themselves up onto the ledge and rolled over onto their backs. Every breath burned on the way down, catching on the divets in their throat when they breathed out. "Please... _please_ tell me... I'm almost there."

_'You're not."_

"Goddamnit."

What kind of torture was this? How the hell was this all supposed to help their son? _Why_ were mountains so unnecessarily huge?

Nana rolled over, lifting themselves onto their elbows and knees. Letting their head hang for a moment, forehead pressed against the blissfully cool rock, they debated their options.

By this point, they had been climbing for a few hours. It wasn't noon yet, the sun was still hanging kind of low, but they were down to ten Fruit Gusher packets and only two refillable canisters for their water hat.

They could start to climb back down. They could go on some long adventure trying to find anyone that wasn't a voice in their head that could help Tsuna and undo whatever the fuck that old man did to him (if he ever showed his face again there would be _hell to pay_). These flame things were difficult to obtain, harder to control, but that didn't mean there weren't other people who had them. All Nana had to do was track down one of those people and boom. Problem solved.

Unless they needed a specific type of flame. During Snakes long-winded lecture about the magical life auras everyone apparently just _had_ he had failed to mention what exactly the plan was to solve the problem. He made it very clear that things were going to be his way or no way.

Nana could also continue up the mountain, scrabbling and slipping while desperately trying not to die again until they somehow managed to unlock their own flames. If, by some miracle, they managed this impossible feat they would then continue to be at Snake's beck and call for the foreseeable future.

Neither of those options looked great.

The second one had the highest chance of helping Tsuna. For now.

With a groan they could feel all the way down to their soul Nana summoned up as much will power as they could. Taking long, deep breaths they nodded to themselves. They could do this.

Looking up Nana prepared to start again.

Narrow grey eyes stared down at her with an odd mix of curiosity and disdain. Nana threw themselves back so quickly they nearly fell off the ledge, the startled scream ripping from their throat threatening to break the sound barrier itself.

"H-Hibari-san!" Nana stuttered, heart threatening to give out. They clutched at their chest, breathing rapidly. "W-what are you _doing_ up here?!"

Hibari Natsuki turned from where she was calculating routes up the mountain to see her son glaring down at familiar, trembling face just a few feet away. She was wearing casual hiking gear with a small backpack slung over her shoulders.

"Sawada-san," she greeted, bowing her head a bit in greeting. "My son and I are doing our weekly hike. Do you also climb here often? I have never seen you here before."

Nana gapped first at the tall woman who looked like she was out on a short stroll, then down to the five-year-old little boy that had very nearly killed them.

_"Weekly?!"_ they squeaked.

Natsuki nodded, lifting her wrist to check the time.

"It was a pleasure to see you again Sawada-san but I am afraid we must continue on if we are to finish in time. Have a nice day."

The two attached themselves to the wall like they were covered in suction cups, scaling upwards easily. They hadn't even looked like they'd broken a sweat.

"They're not human," Nana breathed, torn between awe and terror. "Snake, they can't _possibly_ be human!"

_'...The world is full of mysterious things.'_

His voice was stilted. Tense.

Nana looked at their hands, eyes wide. "...I'm being beaten by a five-year-old. A _toddler_."

Scrambling to their feet they rushed over to where the two had disappeared. Looking up they spotted them a little way up, steadily climbing like they were born to it.

"Okay," Nana breathed, rolling their shoulders back. Forcing all doubts from their mind they started to climb, muscles screaming but holding strong.

Nana sped up the mountain as fast as they could go. As soon as they were level with the son they slowed down to match his pace.

He narrowed his eyes at them, an odd glint catching the light. He sped up. Nana sped up too.

They would not lose to a little kid. Tieing, sure. No problem. Nana's pride could take a tie. But losing was not an option.

Natsuki glanced down at them, humming in the back of her throat with interest. This was the first time someone was actually brave (or foolish) enough to challenge Kyoya directly. Her son looked ecstatic. What an interesting person.

-00-

Aiko glanced at the clock, her brow furrowing in worry. Nana had said they would come by to pick up Tsuna at seven. It was 7:25.

Tsuyoshi started to reach for the phone.

The flaps leading into the restaurant pulled back.

"Nana-" Aiko started to smile, striding over. She froze mid-step when she actually got a good look at them. "_Nana-san!_ What on earth happened to you?!"

Tsuyoshi came around the counter, drying his hands on his aprons. On look at the bedraggled figure in the door had him laughing broadly.

"You look like you fought a bear, Nana! Come in and have some food before you fall over!"

Underneath the dirt and scrapes Nana's smile was brilliant. "I think a bear would have been an easier fight. I was hiking over in the Mountain," they flicked some dirt off their shirt, "and I ran into Hibari-san and her son."

"Ahh," the couple nodded as though that explained everything.

"Well, come and sit down," Aiko ushered, pushing them towards a stool. "The boys are up playing in Takeshi's room. Don't worry about dinner, they have already been fed."

"Oh, thanks!" Nana wobbled a bit before flopping down. "That's really kind of the two of you. Remind me to pay back the favor later."

Tsuyoshi grinned. "Of course! Now, eat up! A long hike is always the best when it's followed by a delicious meal!"

He couldn't quite tell what Nana was saying past all the food in their mouth but it sounded positive. Aiko smiled, feeling relieved. Nana was clearly feeling better. They still were not wearing their wedding ring, but that was a story she would wait to hear for when they were ready to share.

Nodding to herself she went to check on the boys.

-00-

If Tsuna hadn't come knocking for a bedtime story Nana may very well have fallen asleep in the bathtub. Every cell in their body ached and burned. It was nearly impossible to keep their eyes open. They didn't even remember finishing the story. Just Tsuna hugging them goodnight and tucking himself in.

Nana adored him.

Throwing themselves onto the bed they didn't bother wiggling under the covers. It was summer. It would be fine.

_'You were very close today,'_ Snake spoke thoughtfully. _'Your flames very nearly rose to the surface when that boy tried to kick you off the mountain.'_

That little shit. He was lucky they had been able to snag onto one of the outcrops before they fully tipped over! Now their shoulders hurt like hell (though, to be fair, so did the rest of their body) but at least they made it to the top a split second before he did!

Nana didn't need to mention the chilling feeling of imminent death when Kyoya stared directly into their soul. Hibari-san had extended the invitation to start joining them in their hikes.

Nana had been to bedazzled and scared to say no.

_'You will have to try again.'_

"Fuck off," Nana mumbled, face smooshed into the pillow. "Dun tal' to me."

Snake was nothing if not consistent. He continued to talk, the dull ass tone of his face fading to white noise.

As far as lullabies went, Nana had heard worse.

-00-

Tsuna stumbled across the hallway, eyes wide and nervous. It had started raining on the way home and now there were big crashing sounds tumbling across the sky. He adjusted his grip on Plat, making sure he wouldn't slip, before peeking into the room at the far end of the hall.

Nana was curled up on the far side of the bed, light snores whispering in the darkness. The room lit up with a flash and Tsuna shrieked. Throwing himself at the bed he tossed Plat up first and then struggled to climb up himself.

"Neghu?" a mumbled groan made him look up.

Nana was sitting up, hair flying around them like it was trying to escape. They stared at the wall in front of them, unseeing.

Tsuna opened his mouth, and then closed it with a frown. He let go of the blanket he had been trying to scale, fingers curling in his shirt.

"Tsu-kun?"

Nana was looking down at him, concerned.

Tsuna sniffled, eyes welling up with tears.

Gentle hands lifted him up, a soft voice shushing him as thin fingers carded through his hair.

"There, there, you're okay. It's just a storm," Nana comforted, tucking him into their side. "The thunder can't hurt you sweetheart."

Tsuna pushed his face into the crook of their neck, shaking his head.

"Oh? Did you have a nightmare?"

He shook his head.

"What's wrong Tsu-kun?"

He leaned back, little hiccups escaping as he tried to explain why he felt so upset. Everything felt wrong. Like the world was tilted a bit even though it was the same as always.

"Mama," he cried, shaking his head. "Papa? Don't k-know!"

He burst into a fresh round of tears, launching himself back into their arms.

"Oh," Nana breathed softly. "Oh, sweetie. It's _okay_. If you don't know you can just ask, I promise. I won't ever be mad if you don't know okay?"

"Mh," he cried.

Nana laid back, curling to the side and around him so they were both comfortable.

_'Iemtisu, I'm going to kill you,'_ Nana swore, eyes watering.

They both fell asleep, the sound of rain echoing through the house.

-00-

The doorbell rang at 8:30am exactly. Nana looked up from where he was washing the dishes. Glancing over at Tsuna, who was still playing with his food (he'd have to get a bit stricter about that) he dried his hands and moved towards the door.

The little window showed there was no one on the other side.

With a little frown, Nana pulled open the door.

He shrieked, slamming it shut so fast the walls around it shook.

"Papa?" Tsuna called, trying to peer around his chair. "Papa, okay?"

Nana shook, his hands trembling as he reached for the doorknob once more. Slowly, as though waiting to get mauled the second it clicked open, he cracked it open.

"H-hello Kyoya-kun. Did you need something?"

Hibari Kyoya stared up at him, gaze sharper than a blade.

"Good morning Sawada-san," Natsuki strolled casually around the edge of the sidewalk, joining her son at the entryway. Nana made sure his body was covered by the door. She really didn't need to see the over-sized shirt with a big smiling pineapple surrounded by the glittering green letters "Give Me a Hug!".

"Hibari-san, hello," he looked pointedly to the side. If he didn't look directly at her then he might actually be able to hold an intelligent conversation.

Natsuki's perfectly sculpted eyebrow rose an inch, but she didn't comment on it.

"I apologize for coming over unannounced. Kyoya wanted to know if you would be interested in joining us for our morning run tomorrow."

It took all of one glance to know that the kid was not asking. Nana felt a little ridiculous for being intimidated by a child, but when Kyoya's lips turned up into a downright sadistic little smile he decided that age did not really matter. This kid was crazy.

Yeah, he'd definitely be turning this down.

"I-," he looked up, directly into her face, "-wouldloveto."

No!

"Would youlike to join usfor breakFAst?!"

Stop!

Natsuki looked at her watch. "I have business to attend to. Kyoya, you may stay if you wish."

Kyoya nodded, never looking away. Never blinking.

"Thank you Sawada-san. I will be back for him in two hours, or he can walk home if you are busy."

"W-walk home?" Nana swiveled his eyes to the grass. "By himself?"

Natsuki smiled, small and terrifying. Nana flushed and broke out into a terrified sweat at the same time. "He can take care of himself just fine. Kyoya, be good."

Nana kept his gaze focused on the ladybug crawling lazily over a leaf until she was too far away to see anymore.

"...Would you like to come in Kyoya-kun?"

"I'll bite you to death."

_Oh god._

-00-

_"Kill me,"_ Nana choked.

Tsuna giggled, sitting on his back and playing with his hair.

They both looked up, past the devastation that was once the main room, when the door opened.

Kyoya stood in the entryway, glancing back out of the corner of his eye.

"Tomorrow," he reminded with all the authority of loan shark about to seriously cash in on the debts owed him.

"Bye-bye," Tsuna waved, perhaps too young to really feel the fear for his life that should have been there.

Kyoya, surprisingly, waved back before the door swung shut. It clicked with a type of finality Nana did not want to put a name to.

_"Congratulations,"_ Snake commended, a mockingly congratulatory clapping sound following his words. _"You've unlocked your flames."_

**-00-**

**Any guesses for the type of flame Nana has? **  
**The Hibari family is a force to be reckoned with. Handle with caution.**

**Review Responses:**

**il-cielo-e-il-sole: **Cool name! It's a lot of fun to say :D *little blushy squeal face* Thank you! I'm glad you liked it! I totally keep forgetting either Fanfic or Archive, whichever one I'm not on for a little while, so sometimes someone will ask why I haven't updated something on one of them and I realize I actually have a bunch of chapters done and out for it I just forgot to post it on the other account I have too T-T. Thanks for reading friendo!


	5. Clear!

**Nana learns that running is good for the body unless fruit is involved.**  
**Snake shows emotions. Kind of.**  
**Cakes are cool.**  
**A high-speed chase (without the chase)!**

**-00-**

Clear!

**-00-**

In the end, Nana chose to blame it on Snake.

While it was true that the amount of adrenaline pumped fear that had been racing through their veins had been placed there by the youngest Hibari family member it was, really, all Snake's fault that the whole thing had happened in the first place. Which meant, of course, that the dreams created from those feelings were all his fault as well.

_"Gotcha Bitch!" her_ _brother called out, swinging around the corner with his laser gun held high._

_"What did you just call me?!" her sister shrieked, throwing down her own laser gun and leaping at the other man with an enraged battle cry._

_They flipped onto the ground slapping, punching, and biting._

_"Kids!" a deeper baritone echoed across the walls. "These people are trying to close for the night, you can fight at home!"_

_The two leaped up, scrambling over each other to reach the exit first. _

_"We're no kids Dad, we're fifteen." they chimed at the same time, glaring at each other right after._

_The large man rolled his eyes, ushering them towards the parking lot. "Stop acting like it then, and maybe I'll believe you. Go get in the car while I finish paying."_

_The two locked eyes, shoulders tensing, before they bolted. Loud shouts and the sound of fists hitting flesh followed after them._

_"Those two," Dad sighed. He glanced around looking for something. "Now, where's-"_

_The scene shifted and suddenly there was a hospital room. Dad was smiling and talking, but the room was so bright and the high buzzing sound from the equipment hooked up to him was too loud. _

_They both stood there, crying. Her makeup was streaming down her face, smudging his shirt but neither of them cared. They looked up, and over, opening their arms to invite her into the hug. But when she hugged them her sister disappeared. She grabbed her brother, but all that remained was his shirt._

_He was on a mountain. It was too high, they were above the clouds now. He could see all three of them, across a huge gap on the peak of a different mountain. They were smiling and laughing, waiting for him._

_Something wrapped around him, around his neck, freezing him in place before he could call out. The snake hissed, curling up and around with one slitted yellow eye following him every time he tried to move._

_A foot slammed into his back, sending her spiraling off the edge. Looking up she could see a small boy with narrow grey eyes smirking down at her._

_She landed on something soft. It was brown, swaying around him like grass. It was soft to the touch. A large hand reached out to her, scooping him up._

_Tsuna looked down at her and giggled, hugging her to his cheek._

_"Papa!"_

_What?_

_Suddenly he was different. There were people he knew, lining the street, and Tsuna's hand was in his. Dad from before, and Dad from after were waiting at the front door. They both smiled and waved._

_Pounding footsteps sounded from behind him. He turned to look. The boy was back, charging at them with glinting metal in their hands. He leaped towards them-_

"FUCK OFF SATAN!"

Nana slammed into the ground wriggling like a worm in a desperate bid to free himself from the blankets constraining him. He breathed in sharply, dazed, when he bumped his head on the dresser side table.

_"What on earth has gotten into you?" _Snake wondered curiously, not at all concerned about a possible concussion. He was drinking something again. He was like one of those really annoying moviegoers that would slurp their drink obnoxiously loud, even if everyone else around them could tell the damn thing was empty.

Finally freeing his arms from the cotton prison Nana put up his dukes, ready to fight off the tiny menace.

"Where'd he go?!" he whipped his head back and forth.

"Papa?" The door creaked open, two large doe eyes peering through. Tsuna blinked when he saw Nana's head sticking out from the other side of the bed. "Fall down?"

Nana blinked rapidly, brain working overtime.

_"I do believe you were dreaming," _Snake commented blandly after a long slurp.

"Uh," he scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, buddy. I fell down. I... do that sometimes."

Tsuna's eyes got impossibly wider, a little glimmer growing as he rushed over. "L-like, like, li-like-!"

Nana laughed. He scooped him up in his arms, grinning when Tsuna immediately returned the hug.

"Calm down Tsu-kun. You have to breathe if you want to talk, remember?"

Tsuna took a few exaggerated deep breaths, patting his own cheeks to calm down. Finally, he was able to speak without his tongue getting in the way. "Papa fall down, like me!"

Ohhh, that hurt.

"Y-yeah," his smile was strained. On the plus side, he was angry again. Anger was a great motivator to get up and moving for the day. "Hey, wait a minute. What are you doing up so early?"

Double checking the time he realized that, yes, it was four in the morning and the sun was not even trying to rise yet.

Tsuna grinned. "Fell down."

"Oh, baby," Nana softened, running a hand through his hair to check for any bumps. "You okay?"

"Mh!" he nodded, sunshine literally pouring out of him in waves.

Nana squinted against the brightness. "Want some breakfast?"

"Pancapes!" he cheered.

"Cakes."

Tsuna gasped. "_Cake?"_

Nana paled, turning his face away from the expectant gaze. "Ah, no. No cakes. I meant they're called pan_cakes_ not pan_capes_."

"Oh," Tsuna deflated.

"...Want some blueberries with yours?"

"Yeah!"

-00-

Hibari Natsuki looked down at the tiny animal bouncing up and down before her.

"Hello little one," she knelt down and held her hand out. "My name is Hibari Natsuki."

The boy blushed, reaching out to shake her hand. "S-awda Tsuna."

"If you want some you have to ask," Nana's voice echoed down the hall. Natsuki stood up, peering down the entryway. Nana had gone to grab their bag and Kyoya followed after them.

Her son was glaring upwards at the container of blueberries being held out of reach. Nana walked towards them, side-eyeing him with suspicion.

"These are for snack later. You can have some of them then."

Kyoya's eyes sharpened. "I'll bite you to death."

"Not before I eat them all," Nana threatened, fingers pinching the lid.

He growled.

Natsuki cleared her throat. The two looked up at her. "Shall we get going?"

"OF COURSE!" Nana cheered, eyes glued to the wall.

The two Sawada's walked out first. Natsuki looked down at her son, the corners of her eyes crinkling in amusement.

"Tch." he clicked his tongue, avoiding her gaze.

"Do your best Tsu-kun," Nana encouraged. "Go at your own pace okay? We'll stop at the park and take a break together."

Kyoya opened his mouth, clearly against this. Natsuki placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Sawada-san," she got the others attention. She motioned towards the backpack slung over her own shoulders. "I have a bit more work to do this morning than usual. If you would like I can stay with Tsuna-kun at the park while Kyoya and yourself finish the original route."

Nana looked down at Kyoya's sudden smirk. "Uh..."

"If I win," he spoke, eyes rivited on Nana's bag, "those are mine."

Nana squinted. "Fine," they crossed their arms. "But if I win then you have to say 'Please allow me to have some of your blueberries Sawada-sama'."

Natsuki turned her head to the side, coughing into her fist at the outraged snarl Kyoya gave.

Tsuna looked between them, head tilted. "Berries?"

"For later," Nana patted his hair, lifting their nose and smirking down at the small Hibari condescendingly as if to say 'I already know I'm going to win'.

"_I'll bite you to death."_

"Prove it!"

-00-

Picture a balloon with a hole in one side so small it would be almost impossible to see. There is a high-pitched whine coming from it as the air escapes through the only exit available. If one did not know it was coming from a balloon they might think it was a muffled scream for help, perhaps an animal in pain.

Nana, prone in true starfish form on the ground, was very skilled at imitating this noise.

Kyoya smirked triumphantly through a mouthful of berries down at him, his own shoulders moving deceptively slow as he took deep breaths to calm down his heart rate.

Tsuna wandered over towards Nana's head, sitting down cross-legged just a few inches away. Flipping open the lid on his fish print water bottle he reached over and dumped it over Nana's head.

Nana gave a weak thumbs up, face hidden by the dirt and grass.

_"...th-an-ks..."_

Tsuna beamed. He looked over at the other boy and held out a hand.

"Berries?"

Kyoya frowned, looking between the tiny creature and the fresh treats in his hand. With a huff, he plucked out five and handed them over.

"Thank you!" Tsuna shot a smile backed by the force of the sun. Kyoya blinked rapidly, feeling oddly attacked.

Popping two of the blueberries into his mouth Tsuna held another next to Nana's mouth. "Here Papa. Eat."

Nana cried a bit.

Natsuki continued to type away on a bench underneath the shade, ears tuned into the antics happening next to her. She would invite Kouske to join them next time. He would be very entertained.

-00-

Nana twisted his hands around, squinting at them. "I don't see anything."

He was chilling in his bed, legs crossed and hair tucked up into a towel. The day had started with a run from Hell (Kyoya beat him this time, but only because the brat had tripped him going around a corner!) before settling into a more relaxing pace of playing with Tsuna and stopping by the Yamamoto's for some dinner. He had just gotten out of the shower and was doing a few stretches before bed when Snake decided it would be a great time for a lesson.

_"Of course not,"_ he could _hear_ Snake roll his eyes. Dick. _"It takes extraordinary control and practice to manifest your flames to the point of visibility, especially without a conduit. You will need to train your mind and body to reach that point."_

"Then how do you know I unlocked them if they can't be seen?" Nana scowled, crossing his arms.

_"I can tell from your aura."_

Nana blinked slowly. "My Aura. What is this, a movie?"

_"Perhaps it is. How else would someone such as yourself be able to access your flames?"_

"...Did you just insult me?" he shook his head, trying to parse through the words. "I feel like you just insulted me. Snake. Are you learning how to _sass_?"

_"Flames are the manifestation of your life energy,"_ he continued right along. _"They are made stronger by your will power. The stronger your desire to help Tsunayoshi the more powerful they will be."_

Oh. Well, that part would be easy to keep up on then. The longer Tsuna went in his current state the more determined (and angry) he became.

_"We have briefly spoken of the types of flames there are. Do you remember them?"_

"It's kind of hard not to when you've told me about them at least thirty times since I was two," Nana pointed out. "There's the Sky, Sun, Rain, Storm, Cloud, Mist, and Lightning. I have Lightning, but you thought I would have Sun or Storm because I am both unnaturally energetic and have a strong tendency towards impulsive violence. You also said I was not likely going to have Mist flames because that takes a lot of intelligence and creativity to wield appropriately. I remember Hanazawa-san nearly having a heart palpitation when I forgot she was around and cursed you out as you deserved. You also mentioned Earth Flames once, but that's a bloodline thing and super rare."

There was one time where Snake had mentioned a Night flame, but he had been edgy and vague about it. He kept pushing like he wanted Nana to ask about it so he resolutely decided to deny its existence until the end of time. Just because.

_"You do listen to me,"_ he sounded surprised and (Nana grimaced) touched.

"Unwillingly."

A cold breeze blew through the open window, making him shiver a bit.

_"Well,"_ Snake cleared his throat. _"If you can remember all of that then I'm sure you also remember the characteristics of each flame as well."_

"Yup."

_"So the characteristics of your own are...?"_

Ugh, it was like being back in school all over again.

"The Lightning flames have the special abilities of strengthening and hardening," Nana performed his best impression of a dull-voiced robot. He was steadily building up a repertoire of 'hardening' jokes to throw at Snake when the man least expected it. "When influenced by these flames objects can be 'hardened' changing their strength and density as the wielder sees fit."

Snake sniffed.

"Oh my god," Nana blanched. "Are you _crying?_ Dude, it should not be that surprising that I listened to you sometimes. You literally never shut up, something was bound to stick."

_"How wonderful,"_ Snake praised, _"that I have a student so willing to learn."_

"Stop that," Nana demanded. "Stop that right now. There will be none of that shit in this house."

_"The learning or the praising?"_

"Shut up."

-00-

**Two months later**

"Don't touch that Tsu-kun," Nana gently pushed his hand away, cradling the phone between her ear and her shoulder. Tsuna pouted, eyes riveted on the bowl of delicious handmade frosting. It was so _close!_

Nana shook her head, lifting him out of his chair and setting him on the ground. She motioned for him to go play while she was talking.

"Nana?"

The soft, hesitant voice on the other end of the line brought her focus back to the matter at hand.

"Sorry, sorry," she apologized, turning back to her baking. "I was just making sure Tsuna didn't knock anything over."

"Children do like sweets," she muttered so softly Nana had to practically smash her face into the receiver to hear her. "Do you think I should get him some candies?"

Nana hummed, snagging the whisk and the large bowl near the end of the counter. "Candy is always a good way to make sure they like the gift, but you're already giving him a cake too. That might be too much sugar for his little body to handle."

"Oh," she sounded disheartened. "That's true."

"Wouldn't the cake be enough of a gift?" Nana wondered.

"Yes, but you're the one making it. Which I am grateful for!" she hastened to add on. "But I want to give him something from me."

Fair enough. Nana mulled over the little bit she knew of her friend's son.

"He likes playing the piano with you, doesn't he? Have you tried making a song for him?"

"Oh!" she cheered a little. "Oh, that's a wonderful idea! Why didn't I think of that before?"

Nana laughed, shaking her head fondly. "Because you overthink things too easily. You've never given a bad gift. Remember Plat? I still have him you know."

"You do?"

"Of course. I passed him down to Tsu-kun and he absolutely adores him."

"How sweet," she brightened.

Nana frowned when she heard a small, restrained cough. "Lavina, have you taken your medicine today?"

"Yes, yes," she sighed. "I couldn't have you getting mad at me again."

"Not mad," Nana corrected. "Just worried. You don't really take care of yourself like you should."

Lavina was quiet for a long moment. Nana set down the whisk, turning so she could lean against the counter. It was a miracle Lavina even had medicine to take. When she first started getting sick she had refused to go to the doctors. Something about not wanting to be a burden, which Nana hopped on with a vengeance. It took months of arguing before she was able to convince the other woman to get a more in-depth checkup.

"I know you haven't told me everything that's going on with you, and that's okay," Nana comforted when she tried to interrupt. "You don't have to. I need you to know though that taking care of yourself is never a burden. The people who love you _will_ worry, because we love you, but it's much better for us to worry while you take care of yourself than for something bad to happen and no one knows until it's too late. Living with worry is a lot easier than living with regrets, so if you really don't want to bother anyone then make sure you're doing what you can to stay healthy."

Nana closed her eyes. If she focused on it she could almost feel the tattoo on her back like an anchor.

"...I know," Lavina sighed heavily. "I'm sorry Nana."

"Don't be. I understand."

"You always do," her voice was fond.

That was a total lie. Nana understood literally nothing about anything eighty percent of the time, but Lavina was stubborn so there wasn't really any use arguing that point.

"Well, I should get going," Lavina's voice faded a bit, like she was pulling away from the phone.

Nana gripped the counter harshly, a horrible twisting feeling in her gut taking root so quickly it made her dizzy.

"Wait!" she shouted.

"Nana?" Lavina sounded shocked. "What is it? Are you okay?"

"Yes!" she nodded rapidly, forgetting she couldn't' be seen. "No. Kind of! Just, uh, when do you need the cake to be there?!"

"Um," Lavina sounded taken aback. "In a week. Is that not enough time?"

"It is," Nana ran her hand down her face, heart pounding. "But, the... mail! Delivering it could get bumpy! What if the cake gets ruined?!"

"I'm sure it will be okay," Lavina comforted. "The last one you made came through perfectly."

"But it might not this time!" Nana was having a difficult time breathing. What on earth was wrong with her? "You, uh, seem really nervous this time! I'd hate for everything to be ruined because the cake got messed up!"

"Everything wouldn't be ruin-"

"So!" Nana could barely hear her own voice past the rushing in her ears. "I should make sure it gets there okay, right?! Right! How about Tsu-kun and I come over to visit?!"

What was she saying? They didn't have time to be flying over to Italy to deliver cakes, she was just starting to get into her training! The coil in her gut twisted sharper.

"I-" Lavina was bewildered. "Well, that would be lovely, of course, but you really don't need to-"

"Cool! Then we'll be there, let's say, a day before his birthday! Sound good?"

"Nana-"

"Oh! It's time for lunch! Sorry Lavina, I've gotta take care of Tsu-kun. See you in a week!"

Nana slammed the phone down, falling to the floor in a heap on her knees. Leaning against the counter she took long, deep breaths.

_"Interesting~"_

"Not. Now. Please." Nana wheezed, side-eyeing the door to the kitchen to make sure Tsuna didn't walk in on the hot mess that was their mind right then.

_"You will be fine,"_ Snake said flippantly. _"This is normal."_

Oh how he wanted to backhand the shit out him right then.

"Not normal," he panted. "_Not fucking normal."_

Snake hummed, voice sickeningly sweet. _"I suppose you are right. It would be normal, however, if you had Sky flames."_

Nana breathed out harshly. "Not possible."

She'd learned all about Sky flames and the stronger intuition they had. She learned about Tsuna's Hyper Intuition (regular intuition, but waaay better) he was supposed to have, which was like a super-powered emotional foresight for all that was bad. She didn't have Sky Flames. She could barely produce any Lightning flames as it was, but they were still there. They were green, arching and branching in random crisscross directions for the few seconds she could manifest them. There was never any orange. Ever. He had lectured enough over the years for her to know you couldn't have two without some serious work, and even then you only really had one base flame.

_"Bring out your flames," _Snake ordered. She wanted to bite him. _"If they are dormant then when you calm down they may be impossible to find again by normal means. Checking them now should answer your questions."_

"_Your_ questions," Nana snapped.

Still. If it was possible she had Sky flames she needed to know. Tsuna's seal would be far easier to break with Sky rather than Lightning. If it were possible...

Closing her eyes she focused. She thought about Tsuna. About what the seal was doing to him and what she needed to do to stop it. She thought about Iemitsu and the old man. She thought of twin smiles and open arms.

Her skin was tingling. Opening her eyes she smiled a bit at the tiny flashes of green light dancing across her knuckles.

"Nothing," she breathed, not seeing any orange.

_"No,"_ Snake disagreed, his tone darkening. _"You aura has changed. This isn't right. There are touches of Sky but they are... wrong. Jagged. Too small to manifest. They are unnatural. What were you thinking of when you were talking to that woman?"_

Nana grimaced. The tattoo on her back burned.

"None of your business."

"Mama, Boogles!"

Nana shuddered, reality crashing back in. She was panicking on her kitchen floor for no foreseeable reason with a half made cake, last minute plans to go to Italy, and a three-year-old in the next room.

"Alright Nana," she breathed, reaching up to tug on her hair. "Get your shit together. Stuff to do."

"Mama!"

"Coming Tsu-kun!"

The Boogle Show was a kids cartoon about weird looking creatures doing weird things. It was... weird, but Tsuna was addicted. Focusing her mind on doing the dances with him she shoved everything back to be dealt with later.

Snake didn't talk with her again until four days later when they were settling in on their flight.

_"When I found you," _he started, suddenly and out of nowhere (Nana jumped so harshly she almost dislodged Tsuna's sleeping head from her lap), _"your soul was damaged. Not irreparably but enough to matter. There was a reason. It could be why your flames were so torn."_

Nana bit the side of her cheek. "I don't know why it was damaged," she whispered, mindful of the passengers behind them. "Some bad things happened, sure, but that's just life. It was sad, but I moved on. I lived a good life."

_"You died fairly young."_

"Do you always have to be such an insensitive asshole?" she griped. "It had been an accident. Shit happens sometimes."

_"It must have left a mark."_

"Or _maybe_ it was because you forced me into a life that didn't belong to me and told me it was my job to make sure the world made it through the next century. Ever think that maybe when you crammed me into someone else's body that you might have fucked something up?"

_"Whether that is true or not it should have had no bearing on your Flames. Due to their ties with genetics it would be a good idea to check your father-"_

"You're fucking impossible," Nana breathed. She was so far past done with everything it wasn't even funny. "Leave me alone."

_"Even if you do not believe you have Sky Flames you are on that plane for a reason. If you-"_

"Stop." Nana frowned, eyes closed. "Just. Stop talking."

And for once, Snake listened.

-00-

"Nana!"

"Lavina!"

It was like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. As the silverette rushed towards them, delicately picking her way through the crowd, Nana felt her eyes tear up a bit.

Lavina had been her roommate back when she had been in boarding school. They had lived together for eight years and seeing the woman now was like coming home.

Thin arms wrapped around her shoulders, a pointed chin resting atop her head.

"It's hard to believe you're really here," Lavina breathed. Nana frowned at the raspiness of her breathing. This close she could hear the hummingbird pace of her heart. "It's even harder to believe you haven't grown at all."

"Hey!" Nana protested, leaning back to glare at her.

Lavina laughed, her voice as soft and melodic as ever.

"I'm just teasing. It- it really is good to see you."

Oh jeez. Were those tears?

They must have looked ridiculous. Two grown adults, teary-eyed with wobbling lips just standing there.

Nana felt a little tug on her shirt.

Tsuna was hiding behind her legs, one big eye barely showing from where he was pressing his face into her knee.

"Oh!" Lavina chirped, clapping her hands together excitedly. "Nana, is this your son? He's as adorable as you said!"

Nana expected him to blush but he just tilted his head curiously. "Mama, what words?"

Ah. Oops.

Nana hadn't realized she had slipped into Italian the moment Lavina had called for them. "Sorry sweetie. This is Aunt Lavina. Remember the pictures?"

"Lavina-obasan?" Lavina tilted her head. She had learned most of her Japanese from Nana, who had never had a reason to use to the term.

Nana leaned over to whisper, "It means Aunt."

Lavina grabbed her hand, clearly happy with the name.

Tsuna remained shy for all of three minutes. When Nana went to go get their luggage, leaving the two to play meet-and-greet, she had returned to see Tsuna playing with her friend's hair on one of the benches lining the wall.

"You let your hair grow out more," Nana noted, subtly blocking her hand from reaching out to help with the luggage. "It's really pretty."

Seriously. Lavina had always looked drop dead gorgeous with her brilliant silver hair and emerald green eyes. She usually had her hair mid-length choosing to keep it up in ponytails and buns. Now it was long, almost to her waist, and let loose to curl gently around her face and shoulders.

Nana caught a glance of herself in the reflection of the windows. Her own hair was stuffed into a messy braid, strands loose and free-flying.

"So have you," Lavina tried to grab another bag, only smiling sheepishly when she was blocked again. "I'm glad, it was always so beautiful I had hoped you would."

"...I missed you so much," Nana choked, looking up dramatically.

Lavina giggled. Tsuna, not sure what was going on, giggled too.

-00-

"Wow," Nana gaped at the fancy car waiting for them. "_Nice."_

Lavina brushed off the praise, ushering them in. "I have so many things to show you. Hayato's birthday is tomorrow but the day after that I can show you around!"

"We'd love that." Nana buckled Tsuna in the back before moving to the front. "How have you been feeling?"

"Oh just fine," Lavina waved the question off as she slipped into the driver's seat. "Do you still like clams? There is this wonderful little-"

Nana tried to focus. She really did.

Her stomach was twisting again. Her back twitched.

-00-

"He really does look so much like you," she whispered as Nana finished tucking Tsuna in.

She brushed back his bangs. "He means everything to me."

"I know."

They hovered in mutual understanding, a shared love for their son's in their hearts.

"Wanna look up crappy nail art?"

"...Alright, but you can't copy any really bad ones. I'm seeing Hayato tomorrow."

"Fiiiine."

-00-

Lavina grabbed her keys off the counter, present and cake balanced carefully in the other arm. "I should be back in a few hours," she told them, double checking that she had everything. She was practically vibrating with excited energy.

Nana was sweating. Her hands curled in and out, heart pounding.

"I'm off!" Lavina beamed.

"Wait!" Nana snagged her wrist, pulling her back almost too harshly. Lavina stumbled, barely stopping herself from falling.

"Nana, what are you-?"

"I should come with!"

Lavina blinked. "You both want to come?"

"Not Tsuna," Nana shot out so fast she wasn't even sure what she was saying anymore. "Tsuna can't come."

The silverette glanced towards the closed bedroom door where Tsuna was still snoozing away. "He can't? Is he not feeling well?"

"Yes," she nodded, sweat pooling in her hands. She let go before it could be noticed. "I can go though."

Lavina looked confused. "He would be here alone."

The urge to cry was building up. She shouldn't leave Tsuna alone. He was only three. He could get hurt.

He would get hurt if he went.

"I-," her eyelids fluttered, iris' dilated. "I really think I should go with you. Please."

"Nana," she reached out, worry etched into her face. "Are you okay?"

"_Please."_

They stood there, tension so thick in the air it made it hard to breath.

"Okay," Lavina soothed. Carefully, as though to avoid startling her, she pulled Nana into a hug. "Okay, we can go together. Let me go next door and ask Maria if she can watch Tsuna. She is very sweet, she'll take care of him while we're gone."

Nana melted into the hug, face tucked into her shoulder.

"Stay here for a moment," Lavina urged, deft fingers brushing her hair back across her shoulders. Nana leaned into the touch. "I'll be right back."

Pulling away they stared at eachother before Lavina left to fetch her neighbor.

In the silence of the entryway, Nana let out a shaky breath and covered her face.

-00-

It was halfway to their destination that everything went wrong.

Nana had been driving, insisting that she be the one to take the wheel until Lavina eventually caved. The taller woman had been humming the song she had made to herself, sharing it with Nana for feedback. Her voice got softer. She had stopped mid-note.

When Nana looked over she was slumped over, eyes opened and unseeing. She wasn't breathing.

The car screeched to a stop, tucking into the railing lining the cliff face to stop cars from falling off the edge. Nana unbuckled her seatbelt, phone in hand as she flung herself over the center console so that she could hover over the still form of her friend.

"Lavina! _Lavina!"_

When the paramedics got there Lavina was breathing, just barely. The top of her dress was singed. When the nurses pulled it away they were bewildered by the odd, branching burns stretching across her chest. One of them recalled a case of a man that had been struck by lightning having similar looking scars but these were too small, and the sky had been clear.

Nana stayed in the waiting area, hands open palmed in her lap.

_"You did well,"_ Snake commended, voice softer than she had ever heard. _"You did everything you could."_

Nana choked back a sob. If he hadn't spoken to her, helped her figure out exactly how to gauge how much to use, she could have lost one of her closest friends.

"Thank you," she sobbed, burying her face in her hands and curling over her knees. "Thank you so much."

-00-

When Lavina woke up Nana was hovering above her. Tsuna was curled up against her side with a collection of picture books.

"Lavina," Nana grabbed her hands, holding them softly in her own. "Come back to Namimori with me."

**-00-**

**Whew. That was a doozy to write. And yes! Nana fought death and won! Fear the death fighter!**


	6. Party Crasher

**Nana struggles with adulting with a birthday around the corner.**  
**Having friends is really nice. Lavina loves the Yamamotos and the feeling is mutual.**  
**Lavina makes a new friend(?).**  
**The Hibari family isn't real and Nana opens a door they didn't even know was there.**

**-00-**

Party Crasher

**-00-**

Iemitsu had not signed the papers.

They were sitting on the dining room table with only Nana's signature and a hefty letter that had been added to the return package.

He didn't know what upset him more. The fact that Iemitsu had steadfastly refused to accept his wishes, or that he had felt a bit relieved when he saw the blank spot where his husband's name should have been.

Nana groaned, folding his arms on the table and resting his head on them. This was a nightmare. He wouldn't stop pushing for a divorce. Iemitsu had crossed a line he hadn't even realized needed to be drawn by letting his boss do what he had done. Maybe there had been a reason he thought sealing Tsuna's flames was for the best. Maybe it was even a valid one somehow.

Nana grimaced.

_"You deserve really nice things," Iemitsu responded happily, humming as they sat together._

_Iemitsu brushed a strand of hair out of the way, smiling down with such warmth and love Nana wasn't sure how to respond._

_Their hands brushed and Iemitsu didn't hesitate to coil their fingers together, swinging them back and forth cheerfully._

_"I love you," he reminded them, arms trapping them beneath him. His eyes were soft, his touch softer as he pressed a kiss to their forehead. Another to their cheeks, then their eyelids. "As long as you are you, your heart, I will always love you."_

Nana clenched his fists, eyes burning.

Next to the divorce papers was the form he had gotten from the doctor after Tsuna's checkup. Training was going slow; too slow. It would be a handful of years at the least before Nana could even really start to use his flames. Tsuna would most likely have to live with having his flames sealed for an extended amount of time. Mentally he was around where he should be. He had troubles focusing but the doctor had assured them that that was normal. That would improve.

Physically...

Tsuna still needed help with zippers. His coordination was off, and while he tripped less it was still very much present. He couldn't do a somersault without help even though he had been practicing for weeks. Nana had gotten him a tricycle and he could pedal just fine but no matter how hard he tried if they took the training wheels off he couldn't keep it straight. The doctor said it was similar to having his vision impaired but when they tested for it his eyes had been a perfect 20/20.

Compared to Takeshi, and even little Hayato who they only saw occasionally, Tsuna was behind. His muscles weren't developing as quickly as theirs, even if he did similar activities. He had to work three times as hard just to match their natural growth.

Tsuna hadn't quite noticed he was different yet. He saw Hayato so rarely that there wasn't enough interaction for him to figure out the differences between them (plus Hayato always seemed far too nervous and shy around Tsuna to actually challenge him to anything like Takeshi sometimes did), and he thought Takeshi was just really good at everything (which was _true_, that kid was seriously gifted at anything physical) so him being a little behind hadn't crossed his mind. Even when they were at the park he would usually find himself gravitating towards the younger kids playing in the sand than the ones kicking a soccer ball around or playing tag.

Nana had noticed.

One day others would start to as well.

Namimori was a beautiful town with so many kind people, but it would be unrealistic for him to believe that everyone here was kind. He was a firm believer that there was more good than bad in the world, but there was still bad. Tsuna would be starting preschool soon, and as much as Nana loved children he knew that they were not always kind. Even if they did not mean to be, they would eventually notice that Tsuna was always a bit behind. A bit slower, a bit clumsier. They would be curious, and then they would ask. Tsuna would start to notice and start to wonder. Even if none of the other kids ever picked on him for it (Nana hoped with all his heart this would be true) Tsuna himself would start to get frustrated.

It was hard to see everyone around you leave you behind. Especially for a child. They didn't have the emotional control or experience needed to know they were fine as themselves. That they didn't have to match up. It would hurt him.

Nana would never trust Iemtisu near their son ever again.

Which left only one more decision to make.

In the letter Iemitsu had sent (full of apologies and attempts at making him reconsider but no _explanations)_ there was a check. They had both agreed that Nana would either work somewhere where Tsuna could be as well (such as a daycare) or take a few years off to stay with Tsuna until he could start going to school. Iemitsu made plenty of money (Nana, once again, had no idea how) so it wouldn't be a problem for him to stop working. Nana had returned the last few checks.

Nana's savings were starting to dip low.

Lavina had been living with them for half a year now. It had taken both herself and Gokudera-san to convince her to come. Nana had always had some reservations about the man based on what little Lavina had let slip, but he clearly cared for her. He had told her that if she truly did not want to marry him then she should be somewhere where she could rest and be surrounded by friends. The crushed look on Hayato's face when he came to visit her in the hospital had sealed the deal, especially after Gokudera-san said he could visit her a few times a year. (Hayato had called her by her name, which Nana had several questions about, but Lavina had been exhausted enough as it was so he filed them away. The more he observed the two the more he was figuring out anyway).

Gokudera-san paid for all of her hospital bills. Or, more accurately, he had an outside source put the money into Nana's account and Nana paid the bills but the fact remained that financially Lavina was covered. Tsuna and himself were not. If he was going to separate from Iemitsu (and he _was)_then he needed to find a way to support them both. Something that would allow him to work from home so he could still raise Tsuna as well as be around Lavina in case she needed him. The accident had left her very weakened and she struggled to keep and maintain any kind strength. Most of the time she had to be in a wheelchair and Nana could not in good conscience leave her alone for an extended amount of time.

A last resort was asking Gokudera-san for more financial support. Nana made sure to never bring it up around her, but Lavina's medical expenses were... big. Gokudera-san hadn't seemed off-put by the amount at all, barely blinking at the digits, but Nana still hesitated to ask for more. Especially since it would go towards supporting the two of them more than Lavina.

If he refused the money Iemitsu had sent...

"Shit," Nana hissed, lifting his head so he could rub at his face. "_Shit_."

-00-

"I'm afraid we're closed for the- Nana!" Aiko beamed. "Lavina-chan, welcome!"

"Hello Aiko-chan," Lavina smiled, voice soft. Her fingers were folded comfortably over the blanket in her lap as Nana pushed her through the door to the sushi shop. Her was gently curled, framing her face and making her light blue tank top seem brighter. "You seem very excited."

Aiko nodded, hair twisting around her shoulders as she moved to meet them at the door. Underneath her apron, she was wearing a warm sweater knit dress. Her eyes danced over them, a glimmer of curiosity appearing before she shook it off. "Of course! We are celebrating Nana's birthday after all."

Nana grinned.

His birthday was actually in a few days, but his dad had asked them to all visit (since he couldn't get time off). He offered to pay for the flight and Lavina would finally get to meet him too. Their schedules, whether with work or concerts, always clashed when the chances arouse so it would be nice for them to meet face-to-face for the first time.

"Tsuyoshi, it's time to go!"

"Just finishing up the dishes!" the man called back.

"Sorry for making you guys close early," Nana fiddled with the handles of the wheelchair.

"You're not making us do anything," Aiko waved the apology away. "It'll be nice, just us adults. Are you sure Kyoya-kun is okay with watching them?"

Nana nodded. "Yeah, I think he was actually glad that this is how I cashed in my last win. I was originally planning on having him get a manicure with me but he's really twitchy about people touching his hands."

Did it say something that they were all totally cool with a six-year-old watching their two four-year-olds? Ah well, Natsuki wouldn't be too far off if anything happened.

His ears picked up on the sound of an engine outside.

"Sooo," Nana sweated nervously. "Remeber when I said I would ask Hibari-san to join us?"

More like, they pestered him to ask once they realized he was on speaking terms with the woman (those morning runs were giving him some _killer_calves).

Lavina looked back at him curiously. "Did she say no?"

"Kind of?" Leaning forwards he lowered his voice. "She said she couldn't make it and that she didn't really like shopping anyway but, uh, she said her husband was free? And that he was extremely detailed about fashion?"

Lavina looked mildly surprised. That was okay. She was new. She didn't know any better.

Aiko's mouth dropped open so fast it clicked. Her eyes flickered over towards the door where whatever car had pulled up was still on. Waiting.

"Oh my god," Aiko gasped, hands slowly starting to draw flapping, panicking circles in the air. "Oh my _god,_ that's why you're all dressed up!"

Nana gasped at the accusing finger she pointed his way.

"Hey!" he argued. "I always look this nice!"

"No!" she whispered yelled. "No, you don't! You came walking in here wearing a trash bag as a poncho the last time we were going out!_"_

"The rain had caught me by surprise!"

And come on, so what if he was wearing the nicest dress shirt he had and the pants he knew he looked the best in? Or that really fancy jacket Lavina had gifted him two years ago? Sure, he had put on a _tiny _bit of makeup (which he usually avoided anyway cause he would always forget and rub his eyes) and had his hair pulled back into a neat little bun but it was a celebration! Of course he would dress up!

"Tsuyoshi!" Aiko whispered as loudly as she dared, running through the back doors. "Tsuyoshi, go get changed!"

"What?" the deep voice echoed back. "Why? I thought you said I looked fine?"

"Hibari Kouske is right outside!"

There was a yelp and a loud crash. "What?! Why?!"

"He's coming with us!"

The pounding of feet racing up a set of stairs drifted through the door.

"Um," Lavina fretted softly, hands clasping at the silver flower necklace she wore.

Nana rested a hand on her shoulder. "Lavina."

She twitched at the solemn tone of his voice. "Y-yes?"

"Do you remember when you first met the Yamamotos?"

It had a been a day she was unlikely to ever forget. Nana had pushed her up to the doors of the 'greatest sushi place on the face of the planet, I swear on my life, wait until you try their sasazushi' with Nana jabbering on a mile a minute. When they had arrived Nana pulled them to a stop so they could dig through their bag, Tsuna letting go of their other hand to search through his pockets. Lavina had watched, both curious and very amused, when they pulled out matching yellow sunglasses. In a far too synchronized motion, they flicked them open and slipped them on their faces.

Lavina should have been more suspicious.

Nana had cheered out a greeting when they walked in, Tsuna chiming in happily next to them. Three brilliant, blinding creatures came charging at them with all the force of a raging typhoon.

Lavina had to throw her arms over her face in a desperate bid to save her eyes from being blinded by the light the family exuded. When she could finally look back at them Tsuna was being pulled into the back room by a boy who was wrapped around him like a koala bear, both babbling so quickly it was like a foreign language. The two adults were looking down at her with wide eyes and wider smiles.

"I remember," she nodded, a warm smile blossoming at the memory.

Nana patted her shoulder, looking mournful. "What's about to happen is going to be about... ten times worse."

Lavina blinked. "Ten times? That sounds like a little bit of an exaggeration."

"_No,"_ Nana rasped, eyes closed in silent prayer. "It's really not."

Before she could even formulate a response to that Aiko and Tsuyoshi raced back into the room.

"Whoa!" Nana cheered, squinting a bit.

Aiko had kept the knitted white dress (which Nana was all for, it was super cute) but her hair was now done up in a delicate, complicated braid with white clips shaped like baby's breath flowers trailing its length. She had put on some makeup, just enough to outline her features more and make her eyes more defined. She was holding a pair of long brown boots in her hand, ready to slip on as soon as they left.

Tsuyoshi was wearing a nice blue button-up and tan brown pants. His hair was slicked back with a few strands hanging around his face nicely. He had a black jacket hanging over his arm that looked way fancier than anything Nana had ever seen him wear.

"Oh, you two look lovely!" Lavina clasped her hands together.

Nana whole-heartedly agreed. "I didn't think you guys could look any nicer than you already do, this is almost unfair."

It was totally unfair.

Aiko took a deep breath, curling her arm around Tsuyoshi's "W-we should probably get going. Hibari-san must be waiting."

They all hovered there in awkward silence for a moment. Nana, gathering all the willpower he could, took the first step back towards the door. Thankfully he had Lavina to use as a shield in front of him.

She looked back at him, a little suspicious. Oops. He smiled back charmingly.

When they exited the store, Tsuyoshi locking up behind them, they all had to pause at the limo waiting for them.

Hibari Kouske looked up at them, motioning for his driver to start opening the doors. He didn't even pause to take note of the tears suddenly streaming down their faces. They were friends of the Sawada family. He was used to it by now.

-00-

In all the times they had met (a whopping six, just so you know) Hibari Kouske had never said more than a handful of words to Nana. He had joined in on the morning runs sometimes but he was always very straight to the point. He only ever said exactly what needed to be said, no more no less. Which is why, sitting next to a similarly slack-jawed Aiko and laughing Tsuyoshi, Nana could only marvel at the sight of Lavina chatting away with the man on the opposite side.

And he was _responding._

"My wife and I were disappointed to hear you had stopped performing," Kouske informed her casually, like he wasn't seriously breaking character. "We were planning on taking Kyoya to your last concert but you had to cancel it."

"Yes," Lavina sighed, folding her hands in her lap. "I'm terribly sorry about that. I had started getting sick around that time and found it difficult to travel all that way."

Kouske hummed, blank-faced but eyes focused. "Do you still play?"

"I do!" she cheered up. "Not as much as I used to, Nana doesn't have a piano at their house but I can still play at the library fairly often."

Kouske nodded, eyes narrowing.

Nana had vivid images of a way too large piano being delivered to the front door. It happened before when he mentioned to Natsuki that he missed gardening with his dad. The next day a truck had come by with everything under the sun he would need to keep a very impressive garden. Every now and then she would send over new seeds or soil. Nana is pretty sure it's because he forces Kyoya to help maintain everything whenever he loses their bi-weekly climbing contest (like hell is Nana doing that every single week).

"We're going to save up for one," Nana cut in before the man could get any ideas. The thought would be appreciated but they really didn't have the room for a grand piano right then. "As soon as I find a good job and Lavina gets more settled in we'll start saving up to buy one together."

"You play as well Sawada-san?"

Oookay, he was looking directly at him now. No reason to panic.

"JUst abiT."

Nailed it.

Clearing his throat Nana stared at Lavina instead. She laughed a bit into her hand.

"Lavina and I were roommates for a long time when we were younger. She taught me how to play piano and speak Italian and in return I taught her Japanese and English."

Kouske hummed and Nana started to sweat a bit.

Lavina was, as always, there to cover for him.

"If you would like," she said, drawing attention back to herself, "I would be happy to play for Kyoya-kun. He's such a sweet boy."

The sad thing was, she really believed that. Even Kouske seemed a bit surprised by how genuinely she had meant it. Nana wished he could see the world the way she did.

The car slowly pulled to a stop.

"We're here!" Nana cheered, peering out the window at the street lined with little shops. It wasn't raining or snowing yet, but the cloudy skies seemed to be promising something in the near future.

Even disregarding the fact that this was a birthday thing, Nana was excited. It had been a while since he was able to hang out with friends, and seeing Lavina so energized was icing on the cake.

_'Try to get something that actually works well,' _Snake piped up blandly. _'You look awful in red."_

'You _little shit,'_ Nana thought, scowling. Here he was, working on not being so mean to the bastard after what he had done to help Lavina, and yet there _he _went insulting his wardrobe choices.

"Maybe I'll dye my hair red," he muttered, using Tsuyoshi's naturally loud laugh to cover the words. "See how you like that!"

Ah. Kouske was looking at him again.

Piling out of the car as fast as he possibly could Nana stood by Aiko while a blushing Lavina was helped into her wheelchair by the tall man. She was always very light skinned so even though she tried to cover her face it was easy to tell she was a luminescent red.

Nana snickered.

"I'm glad she's feeling so well," Aiko smiled at the two, glancing over at her husband who was talking to the driver with a boisterous voice.

"Me too," Nana agreed. "Getting out is good for her! Hopefully it doesn't get much colder though. Maybe we should have chosen something else."

Aiko shook her head. "No, no, this is great! I don't get to do a lot of window shopping when I come down here. I needed to come down to pick up some things today anyway, even before we made plans."

Nana flinched, blinking quickly.

Tsuyoshi frowned a bit, catching the movement as he walked over. "You okay Nana?"

He laughed, rolling his shoulder. "Yeah, sorry. Just had a weird back spasm there for a second. Must have been sitting in one position for too long."

Aiko hummed worriedly, brushing a hand over his shoulder. "I'm sure this chill isn't helping. Let's start walking, shall we?"

"I'm ready," Lavina called, bundled up in her blanket. Nana sent her a Chesire cat smirk when Kouske was the one to push her over. Lavina rolled her eyes.

They all started down the path, breaking off into little conversations on their way to the first window shop to peek in. Nana wandered near the back, snapping a picture of Kouske and Lavina talking about different types of classical music (nerds) to send to Natsuki. She would be happy to hear he was making a new friend.

A couple passed on the left, forcing the Yamamoto couple closer to the street. Aiko had to tightrope walk along the edge to avoid stepping into the street.

Nana's stomach dropped, eyes flying open. Rushing forwards he took up the space on her other side, keeping her away from the road.

Aiko smiled up at him, looping her arm through his as they walked. Nana shook his head, beaming back.

His back hurt.

-00-

Whatever nice things Nana has ever said about Kouske he takes them back now. All of them.

He had always wondered who exactly Kyoya took after in terms of personality. Natsuki was so level-headed all the time and Kouske acted like he was carved from stone. The condescending, competitive nature of their son seemed almost out of place.

Not anymore.

"They're _cute_," Nana defended, holding the neon green frog slippers close to his chest. They had a little tongue sticking out and big, unseeing eyes. If they made a noise it would be the tiny 'blep' sound!

"They are repulsive," he stated mercilessly, looming over him with his arms crossed.

"I can't trust you, you didn't like the shirt either!"

Said shirt had been light yellow with two bees etched into each shoulder. All around the rest of it was the word Buzz in various sizes. It was charming.

"Now, now," Lavina tried to placate, unfortunately stuck between them. Aiko and Tsuyoshi were wisely in the other isle, eyes peering through the gaps in the shelves to keep watch. "I'm sure that would look lovely on Tsuna-kun."

The twist of disgust his lips made was possibly the most expressive show of emotion Nana had ever seen on the man. "Those are clothes meant for _adults._"

Lavina paused, glancing first at the slippers (whose lifeless eyes made her shiver a bit) and then at the shirt (which was so painfully bright in color it made her wince).

"Oh."

"_Lavina,_" Nana drew back, betrayed.

She patted his hand, careful to avoid touching the slipper. "I'm sorry Nana."

Nana breathed in. "No, no," he sighed. "It's okay. Our styles have always been different."

"Your style is wrong."

"You know _what_ _Hibari_-!"

"It's good to see them getting along so well!" Tsuyoshi grinned. Something colorful caught his attention in the far corner of the store. He nudged his wife, pointing towards the scarf section. "Doesn't Takeshi need a new one of those?"

"He does!" Aiko nodded. Holding hands they made their way over, happily ignoring the argument behind them.

-00-

In the end, Nana didn't buy anything.

Well, that had been the plan from the start (they really didn't have the money to be spending on anything other than necessities at this point) but the reason had changed! Damn Kouske and his nitpicky, holier-than-thou fashion police face. So what if he looked like he was literally chiseled from rock by the Gods, that didn't matter if there was nothing worthwhile on the inside to match!

Natsuki hadn't even responded to either of their texts! When no one in their group was willing to be the tie breaker he had texted pictures of everything to Natsuki. That was an hour ago! And it clearly said that she had seen the messages!

"Should we grab some dinner?" Aiko wondered, holding her hand out to check for any raindrops while they waited for the crosswalk to turn green. The clouds had gotten darker, but whatever they were holding onto they were apparently not willing to let go of.

Lavina rubbed her hands together, pulling the blanket up to her chin. "That sounds nice."

"Want my jacket?" Nana wondered, looking over at her with concern.

"No thank you, I'm fine. Perhaps we could move to somewhere warmer though?"

"Yeah, that sounds good. I saw a cool music cafe down this way earlier. That sound good?"

There were several hums and grunts of agreement. Nana couldn't honestly tell how Kouske felt about it but he wasn't insulting him so it must have been passable at least.

The light turned green.

Nana breathed out a big cloud, pushing all the air out of his lungs to see how big he could make it. Tsuyoshi and Aiko were as close to each other as they could be for warmth. Kouske looked like the cold didn't even register in his brain.

"How are the boys doing?" Aiko dropped back, looping an arm through Nana's elbow.

Nana flipped open his phone, sweat beading his forehead. He rolled his shoulders, leaning his forearms on the wheelchair so he could keep pushing. "Kyoya says they're fine. He wanted me to tell him how to get Tsu-kun to stop 'leaking'."

"Oh, poor thing. What happened?"

"He wouldn't let him have dessert yet and my little guy knows how to put on the waterworks when he thinks it'll work."

Lavina laughed.

She shrieked a bit when her chair was shoved forwards too fast, sending her flying onto the sidewalk. Tsuyoshi barely managed to grab her in time to stop her from tipping over.

A high pitched squealing noise, followed almost immediately by a thunderous crash made them both flinch.

"Aiko!"

Tsuyoshi dashed back across the intersection. Lavina gasped and struggled to roll after him.

Aiko groaned. Her head throbbed, making her vision blur. She had been walking with Nana, peeking over their shoulder to see the pictures Kyoya had sent when...

What happened after that?

"Snake," a voice hissed above her sounding terrified. "Are you _sure_ they're not demons?"

Aiko blinked rapidly to clear her vision. Nana was above her, looking off to the side at something. They were pale, eyes so wide Aiko worried they might actually roll right out of their head.

"Nana?"

Brown eyes shot to hers. "Ai-"

"Aiko!"

Tsuyoshi was there, face creased in all the wrong ways. He reached out, helping them both sit up.

"Are you two okay?!" Lavina gasped, arms trembling as she came to a stop next to them.

Aiko pressed a hand to her head. "I think so? What happened?"

Nana placed a steadying hand on her shoulder as she leaned into her husband, moving back to give them space. "There was a car coming towards us and it wasn't stopping. I tried to throw us out of the way but _damn_," they breathed, once again looking to the side. "That's just, _damn_."

Aiko peered around them. Her eyes flew open, jaw popping open like a can of fruit.

Kouske was standing in front of the car, with what looked like silver bars held in each hand. One of said hands was _buried in the hood of the car_.

"Did he-?!" she squeaked, shaking her head again.

"It was amazing!" Tsuyoshi laughed, hand running through her hair. The corners of his eyes were still creased wrong, not quite matching his smile. "He barely even moved an inch when that car hit!"

"The Hibaris aren't real," Nana muttered, shaking their head. They sat back, adrenaline making them shake a bit. "They can't be."

Aiko was inclined to agree.

Lavina rolled up to Nana, reaching out to cup their face. "Are you okay?" she wheezed.

"Oh, jeez," Nana hopped up onto their knees, helping steady the chair. "Yeah! Of course! It just scared me is all, I'm fine! Aiko hit her head when we landed though. You good Aiko?"

Aiko nodded weakly. "Tired now, and my head hurts a little. I'm okay though."

Tsuyoshi tucked her face into the crook of his neck, breathing in slowly. She looped her hands around his waist, hugging him back.

"An ambulance is on the way," Kouske spoke from behind Nana, making them shriek. "They will check to see if you have a concussion."

"Thank you," Tsuyoshi looked up at him, holding his gaze for a long moment before turning to Nana. "And thank you, Nana."

His voice was low; seeping with gratitude. Nana flushed, eyes flitting away.

They met Kouske's gaze instead.

"You reacted surprisingly quickly," he commended, looking them over with a newly found interest.

"You reacted inhumanely," Nana thought it was fair to let him know. He seemed to preen a bit at the comment, had not been meant as a compliment.

A big, fat drop of rain hit Lavina's nose. She startled, looking up just as the sky decided to let loose.

"Ugghhhh," Nana groaned, flopping down on the pavement again. "Of course."

-00-

As it turned out Aiko did not have a concussion. Nana had managed to brace their fall enough to avoid that thankfully. Once the paramedics were done checking them over and Kouske had finished giving his report of what had happened to the police they had all agreed it would be best to head home for the night.

Aiko and Tsuyoshi had both give Nana hugs when they were dropped off, thanking him again for saving her (even though Kouske had clearly had it handled). Kouske let them know that Natsuki was on her way with the boys and would drop them off shortly. Tsuna could stay the night with them if he wanted, if not then she would bring him home as well.

Lavina fell asleep on the short drive back. She was shivering, which was a bit worrying. Nana would make sure she had a lot of bedrest before their flight in a few days.

That left just him and Kouske.

Neat.

A helpful skill to master in life was the 'block out the world around you' skill. It was useful in a multitude of situations such as when you didn't want to be bothered, didn't want to bother anyone else, or you just really wanted to pretend that whatever was happening was not actually happening. Nana, having lived his whole second life with Snake in his head, had mastered this skill.

As soon as he was out of lives on the matching game on his phone he moved on to another, similar game. Currently, he had six of them to work through and the drive wouldn't be that long so all was swell.

"You can speak five different languages."

Nana froze, index finger hovering over the screen.

"Mastered two forms of martial arts and fencing. High marks in all grades, you almost graduated as valedictorian. The only reason you did not is because you overslept on the day of your final examinations after spending the previous few days looking after another student that had gotten mugged earlier that week. The few questions you missed were unanswered as you had run out of time."

Oh God. How did he know this? _Why_ did he know this?!

"My son sees you as strong."

Nana looked up now, because that was total bullshit. Kyoya saw him as a bug at best.

Kouske looked thoughtful, arms crossed lazily across his chest. Nana gulped when they caught a slight glint of metal in his sleeves.

"You are having a difficult time with money, correct?"

What the _fuck_.

The car slowed to a stop. Kouske slipped out the second the door was opened, going to the back to unfold the wheelchair. He came around the side, easily lifting Lavina up and out. She sniffled a bit but remained asleep. Wrapping the blanket around her securely he deposited her into her chair and wheeled her towards the door.

Nana scrambled after him.

"My son is having difficulties listening to his instructors," he continued the very much one-sided conversation. "He considers them weak, thus everything they teach is a waste of time."

...Something about his tone made Nana think he agreed with his son's assessment.

"He needs to learn how to deal with those he dislikes," the grimace on his face was a mirror reflection of the one Nana had seen when Natsuki told Kyoya to go wash his hands. "However his advancements are falling behind due to his dislike for his teachers."

Kouske turned and stared at him until Nana realized he was waiting for the door to be opened. With numb hands he unlocked the door, trailing behind the taller man as he walked in. They all had their names printed on the doors. _That_ was definitely why he was able to find Lavina's room so quickly. No other, eerily creepy reason.

Nana rushed to pull the sheets back as he picked her up (like she had the combined weight of three toothpicks) and set her on the bed. Nana got to work taking off her shoes and tucking her in.

"Four days a week. You will be paid generously for your time."

Nana slipped, smacking his head on the edge of the bed. Kouske blinked slowly, gaze drifting up.

"_What?!"_

"The tutors he has now will send you the itinerary of what he is learning. As long as he is learning and content then the methods are yours to decide. Natsuki will go over the exact payment with you later, but know that it will be enough to cover all of your current living expenses and more."

_'...How generous,' _Snake noted, voice subdued by shock.

Nana waved his hand in the air by his head, as though he could swat the words away.

"Take a few days to think on it. You may decide after your trip."

Before Nana could even begin to unpack _any of that_ the sound of the front door slamming open echoed down the hall. Kouske turned on his heel and walked out, leaving Nana to scramble after him.

"Papa!" Tsuna cheered, charging at him and latching onto his leg. "PapatheyhaveareallyreallybigpianocanAuntLavinacomenexttimetoplay?!"

"Whoa, whoa," Nana shook his head, scooping him up so he could see his face. Tsuna's iris were blown wide, his grin stretching so wide it hurt to look at. "Tsuna, bud, what are you saying right now? Take a deep breath."

"Kyo-kunletmeplayinthepoolandKeshiswamthewholewayaround!" Tsuna fired off rapidly. "MyfloatiesalmostpoppedcauseIkepthittingthewallbuttheydidn't!"

"Oh no," Nana breathed, zeroing in on the crumbs around his mouth. "Tsu-kun. How many cookies did you have?"

"Allofthem!"

The front door clicked shut, signaling Kouskes very quick escape off the premises.

"_Kill me_," Nana begged, struggling to hold the squirming ball of energy that was his son.

_"Consider this a learning opportunity."_

"Flub off jerk face."

"Papasaidbadwords!"

Nana cried.

-00-

Iemitsu tugged at his hair, folding over his desk to rest his forehead against it. The papers as well as the letter had arrived back on his desk early that morning and he didn't know what to do. Even the check had been returned; torn in two and taped to the front of the divorce papers.

"Something wrong?" Coyote wondered, leaning on the door frame with a stack of papers in his arms.

Iemitsu sighed, dragging himself up. Shoveling everything into a folder he placed them in his desk drawer and locked it.

"Nothing you can help with. What do you need?"

**-00-**

**Like my totally insensitive chapter titles?**  
**I needed have all the dead moms not dead before I could start jumping ahead again so we can really get moving now! I totally made up how Aiko dies by the way (since the manga decided to give us absolutely jack about her) but she originally gets hit by the car.**  
**Notice any patterns? ;D**  
**Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it!**  
**P.S. For anyone curious about pronoun changes (especially since they didn't change at all this time) Nana usually uses the same pronouns for a while before it switches for a bit (whenever I'm not sure I eeny-meeny-miney-mo it or just pick from a hat). They switched around so much before because there were timeskips and stuff, but they usually have the same pronouns for a few days at the very least. It helps Tsuna out a lot too because Nana will tell him 'I'm Papa now' and Tsuna doesn't have to change how he addresses them until Nana tells him otherwise. Sometimes Nana won't even tell him when it changes until they are sure it'll be for a while cause they don't want to stress him out again. Plus, they're cool with either title. It's Tsuna. He could call them a fish and they'd adore him.**


	7. No Longer Needed

**In which preschool separation anxiety is a thing, Aiko and Lavina are two different kinds of gifts that just keep giving, Kyoya makes a deal, and Nana is so done with all the shit that they decide it's time to take matters into their own two hands.**  
**...Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?**

**-00-**

No Longer Needed

**-00-**

"Thank you very much!" Aiko called out cheerfully as their latest customer left. The man bowed his head a bit, eyes darting towards the pair in the corner of the dining area before speed walking out.

As soon as he was gone Aiko sighed. Wiping her hands on the little hand towel she kept tucked into her apron she walked around the counter towards the only other people in the room.

"You're making us lose customers," she pointed out, hands resting on her hips.

Two pairs of red rimmed eyes looked up at her before they both broke out into a new round of sobbing.

"S-sorry," Nana sniffed, rubbing at their eyes in a fruitless attempt to stop the waterworks.

"You look just like Takeshi!" Tsuyoshi wailed, burying his head in his arms.

"He is my son," Aiko reminded him.

He cried louder, which only convinced Nana to match him in volume.

With a sigh that was nothing less than fond Aiko reached into the far left pocket of her apron and pulled out a packet of tissues.

"There, there," she soothed, tapping their heads to make them look up. Dabbing at the tears tracking down their cheeks she smiled. "What would Takeshi and Tsuna-chan think if they saw you like this?"

Handing them both another tissue she waited until they had blown their noses before bullying them out of their chairs.

"Come on," she encouraged. "Lavina-chan's appointment will be over soon. Let's all go grab some crepes from that new stand that just opened up to surprise her."

"T-the store-" Tsuyoshi tried to protest as she handed him his jacket.

"No one will want to come in with the two of you crying all over the place anyway," she informed him chirpily. "It's just a tiny break. We can open up again when we get back."

"Okay," He agreed softly. She pecked him on the cheek before moving over to help Nana get their jacket on.

"Too pure," they sniffled, leaning into her when she wrapped an arm around their shoulders.

"Yes, yes," Aiko patted their hair. "Come on now."

She left with easy steps, pulling them both by the hand behind her. Hopefully, Takeshi and Tsuna were handling their first day of school better than their parents were.

She wasn't too worried. They were both very kind and as long as they were together they would be fine.

-00-

Tsuna had made several mistakes.

He had been too excited to go to school for the first time ever, especially after Mama had told him it would be like playing with Takeshi and Reading Time all day! With new people even! Mama had helped him pack his school bag full of paper, pencils, and crayons but when she had handed him his little bento he had forgotten one important thing.

His sunglasses.

After meeting Takeshi and his parents Tsuna had quickly realized that the people in his town were very special. They always seemed to glow really bright, and in different colors too! After Iemitsu (he wasn't Tsuna's dad, he had made Mama cry) had visited with the nice grandpa the colors weren't as bright anymore but they were still there. Sometimes he had to squint really hard to see them but other people, like Takeshi and Kyo-kun, actually hurt his eyes if he stared at them for too long.

Mama had said preschool was full of new people, which meant new friends! He couldn't make new friends if he couldn't even look at them!

The second problem is that he got separated from Takeshi. One moment they had been hanging up their backpacks, holding hands so they didn't get lost in the big hallway where everyone was running around, and the next thing he knew they had been forced apart by the other kids. Surrounded by strangers he had been too nervous to leave and search for him. None of the other kids even seemed to notice him as they piled in through the door at the end of the hall. Some of them were crying a lot so the teachers were helping them. It didn't look like they had noticed him either.

His third mistake had been that he had lied to Mama.

He hadn't meant to! When she asked if he would be okay by himself Tsuna had said yes because he really thought he would be! He had his favorite book to share, a yummy lunch, and Takeshi! He should have told her to stay, just in case, but Mama had looked so surprised and- and _proud_ of him when he said he could go to school all by himself!

Tsuna twisted the front of his shirt between both of his hands, bending down behind the little shoe shelf and tucking his head between his knees.

Whenever he would get nervous at the park or scared at night Mama would brush his hair and give him a good luck kiss on the head. She'd help him calm down and tell him silly things to make him laugh before encouraging him to try again.

Mama wasn't there.

His eyes hurt, there were gross boogers in his nose, and Mama wasn't there.

One of the other boys was screaming and kicking his feet. He hit a backpack hanging on the wall and it fell down, smacking Tsuna in the head.

Tsuna curled in on himself tighter.

"Are you okay?"

"Hieee!" Tsuna jerked back at the sudden voice next to his head. Scrambling back a bit he looked up with wide eyes.

A little girl was lifting the backpack that had hit him, big golden eyes blinking down at him curiously.

"Did you get hurt?" She asked softly, setting the backpack up on the wall again and reaching out to him. "Bumped your head?"

"Whoa," Tsuna breathed. The girl was small, probably the same height as himself, with golden brown hair tied up in two pigtails with little blue ribbons that matched her blue long-sleeved dress. Just like Takeshi and Kyo-kun she was bright, but it didn't hurt to look at her. Kyo-kun was always purple and sharp, only ever soft around him and sometimes Mama. Takeshi was a really pretty blue but he moved around so much and so randomly Tsuna could never keep track of what he was doing. This girl was a mix of yellows and purples, slow and comfy. They made him feel like he was at home.

"You're really pretty!" he let her know, cheeks tinged pink.

The girl beamed, reaching down to help him up. "Thank you! You are too!"

One of the teachers (nursing a bruised chin from the boy earlier) spotted them once they were both standing. "Go on through the door kids," he smiled, motioning towards the end of the hall. "There's a big rug on the floor with lots of animals. Find one of your favorites and sit by it, okay?"

"Okay!" the girl cheered. Grabbing Tsuna's hand she marched them through the door. "Let's sit together!"

Tsuna nodded, ducking his head down as he squeezed her hand back.

"Oh! Tsuna! I found you!"

Takeshi appeared on his other side, hand quickly finding his own. Tsuna glanced at him and saw the nervousness in his smile disappear. Tsuna wondered if he had been scared too.

The girl peeked over at him. "Hello!"

"Hi! I'm Takeshi!"

"I'm Kyoko."

"T-Tsuna," Tsuna added softly. All three of them looked around the wide, open-windowed room. All of the books, pillows, and toys made it look like a mini Wonderland.

"We should sit by the jumpers," Kyoko pointed towards the picture of a Kangaroo on the carpet near a large wooden rocking chair.

Takeshi tilted his head and pointed to the opposite side. "But the birds look so cool!"

"I like the lions," Tsuna disagreed.

"Hmmmm," the three tilted their heads thinking.

"Rock-paper-scissors!" Kyoko shouted, making Tsuna jump. "Oh," she suddenly deflated. "But big brother always wins."

"Is he playing too?" Takeshi wondered, looking around for the mysterious fourth person to appear.

Kyoko brightened. "No, he goes to bigger kid school."

"Then it's fine, right?"

"Yeah!"

They formed a mini circle, hands held out in front of them.

"Starting with rock, Jan-ken-pon!"

"Yay!" Kyoko held up her open palmed hand victoriously.

Tsuna and Takshi looked at their fists, sighing in defeat.

"Jumpers," Kyoko dragged them both over.

"Aren't they called Kangaroos?" Takeshi wondered.

"No," Kyoko shook her head with all the assurity of a newly turned four-year-old. "They're jumpers."

"Oh, okay!" Takeshi accepted easily.

Tsuna would have to ask Mama about that later. Something about that didn't seem quite right, but Kyoko looked so confident about her answer he didn't want to doubt her.

A rythmic clapping sound drew all eyes in the room to the front. The man from before was smiling down at them with a much shorter woman at his side. "Good morning!" he greeted happily. "It's time to start our day!"

Tsuna sat down between his oldest and newest friend. He felt a lot better now, especially since he hadn't really lied to Mama. He would be fine, just like he said.

-00-

"Nana," Lavina reached back to tug at her sleeve, motioning for her to bend down. Nana stopped pushing for a moment and leaned over so she could see her friend's phone.

"What's up- awwww! What a cutie!"

A picture of Hayato, all dressed up in a little suit and blushing happily, filled the screen.

"What's the special occasion?" Nana wondered.

Lavina giggled. "He heard that Takeshi-kun and Tsuna-kun were going to start school today. Hayato is homeschooled but I don't think he wanted to be left out."

Nana laughed. "That's adorable. I wish he could go to school with them too. Maybe one day!"

Lavina sighed, hands cradeling her phone gently. "I hope so."

Nana frowned, shifting on her feet a bit before a tiny lightbulb went off in her head. She tapped Lavina's head to get her attention. "Why don't they start writing to eachother?"

"Hayato and Tsuna-kun?" she wondered.

Nana nodded, pushing forwards once again. "Probably Takeshi-kun too. They can be penpals!"

Lavina practically lit up, sitting straighter in her chair. "Oh, that's wonderful! He would be so happy and it would keep him connected to kids his age. It would help him practice his writing too, and-!"

Lavina rambled on, the monotony of her doctors appointment melting away. Nana looked behind her, throwing up a peace sign for victory.

Aiko and Tsuyoshi gave her a thumbs up, their mouths full of fruit filled crepes.

Nana would eventually have to remind Lavina to eat the one in her hands (she always needed to go to her early morning appointments with an empty stomach) but she was too happy for Nana to interrupt. She would remind her when they got home.

Home.

Nana grimaced. Normally she was all for relaxing or doing a bit of cleaning up around the house but today 'home' sounded more like a death sentence. In exactly one hour, three minutes, and twenty-three seconds (not like she was counting or anything) her... _student_ would be showing up for their very first lesson.

How she had managed to fool the Hibari couple into thinking she was not only smart enough, but strong enough to manage their kid was beyond her. She could barely handle herself! She couldn't even begin to describe how lucky she was that Tsuna was such a little angel because who knows what she would have done then!

She'd been panicking about this for a while. Once she had finally accepted the job offer (money aside, only a complete idiot said 'no' to the Hibaris) Kouske stopped staring her down every time he joined their morning exercise routine. Nana hadn't missed how he was appearing more and more often, never quite _saying_ what he was expecting from her but definitely getting the point across anyway. A few days before she had accepted he had taken to running _directly behind her_ like the looming shadow of death. She'd tried speeding up (breaking into a dead sprint) and slowing down (snail crawling) but he matched her pace step for step. Kyoya had even started glaring at him for 'interfering in their battle' but Kouske had only seemed mildly amused. Natsuki more than 'mildly'.

Needless to say, Nana had made the decision to live and suffer.

In a show of sadistic kindness, Natsuki had marked the itinerary (thirty whole pages, _Jesus chri-)_ with which subjects in particular Kyoya disliked.

Eighty percent of the damn thing had been yellow. _Eighty percent. _It certainly didn't help that Kyoya gave the word 'tantrum' a whole new meaning. When he 'disliked' something you could be damn sure he would let you know. One of the maids (they have maids, of course) that had come by to drop off his forgotten lunch about a week ago was Nana's first glance into what the future held for her. The maid was soft spoken and nice, which meant she felt the moral obligation of letting Nana know exactly what it was she was getting into.

Apparently, there had been a time during a history lesson where Kyoya had nearly bitten his tutor's finger clean off.

_His finger. Clean off._

How the _fuck_ was she supposed to manage this?

...Maybe it would be better for Lavina to stick around the Sushi shop until Kyoya left.

"I think I'll stay at the Sushi shop until the boys get out of school," Lavina tapped her chin, her innate mind-reading powers kicking in once again. "Aiko-chan promised to show me how to cook."

Nana blinked. "You already know how to cook?"

"Not very much," Lavina shook her head. "I've so rarely had to cook for myself that I'm out of practice for the little bit I know. I need to start helping out around the house more so she's going to be helping me figure out ways that I can do household chores."

Nana blinked again, this time to hold back tiny little tears. "_Lavina_," she leaned down to hug her around the shoulders. "You're too nice for this world!"

"Maybe that's why it tried to get rid of me," Lavina laughed, face lit up by the happy little smile she had crawling across her face.

Tripping feet scuffled across the pavement behind them.

Ah, yes. Lavina's random, popped out of freakin nowhere morbid humor. So rare were the jokes that they never failed to catch people off guard.

Nana wasn't sure if she had missed those or not.

"Hahaha," she forced out a few laughs. "How about those crepes?"

"Oh!" Lavina looked down at the singular bite she had taken. "I'd almost forgotten. It's delicious, thank you."

Nana glanced back at the Yamamotos. They were staring at Lavina like she'd pulled off a mask scoobydoo villain style to reveal someone else entirely.

Fifty-eight minutes, twelve seconds left to go.

-00-

Presentation was key.

Normally Nana would say it was vital to clearly state who was in charge but in this situation, if she told Kyoya she was the boss (or even gave him the feeling that she was attempting to control him) she could say goodbye to this mortal coil faster than Snake could make any sarcastic quips. She couldn't let him feel like he had her on a leash either, they would never get anything nesseccary done.

...She also really didn't want to be at the beck and call of a toddler. Talk about humiliating.

So, there needed to be compromise.

"Kyoya," she started, dead serious. No 'san' or 'kun' signifier could be attatched. A clear indicator of equals right off the bat.

"Omnivore."

Excellent. She still totally thought it was weird how he mentally categorized everything around him in terms of eating habits but it at least made it easy for her to tell where she stood with him.

He glared at her, face tensed from across the coffee table. The plate of cookies in front of him remained untouched. Nana had underestimated his hatred for structured learning, he looked ready to fight his way out by whatever means nesseccary.

"I have a deal for you."

A shift. Barely noticeable but there. He was listening.

"This," she dropped the packet onto the table with a slam (exaggerated, perhaps, but required to get the point across strongly), "is everything your parents want you to learn."

It was commendable that he wasn't hissing at it yet. The look on his face spoke volumes of how he felt about his parent's wishes.

"It is my job to teach you these things," she informed him. His parent's had probably already let him know but it never hurt to solidify facts. "However, I know you disagree with practically everything on this list."

The subtle upturn of his eyes, narrowing his gaze just that much further, was a mirror image of his father's face when they found something interesting. Nana usually hated that look (it always meant suffering to come) but in this instance, it was yet another step towards victory.

"So," she tapped the papers, "I offer you a challenge."

The hook has landed. Now to reel it in.

Steepling her fingers Nana made her offer. "Every time you are with me we will be covering something from this packet. However, I offer you an opportunity to choose what it is we learn each day."

"Hoh~?" he crossed his arms.

"Don't get a head of yourself," she huffed, inserting just enough mocking contempt into her voice to get a rise. "I doubt you will get the choice as often as you think."

He looked insulted. "Explain."

"Every morning we meet, or even a day before these sessions, we will both partake in a challenge. The challenges can change and vary, those are details we can work out later. What is important is that the winner of the challenge will get to choose what we focus on that day and the loser has to follow through no matter what."

She wouldn't mention the extra folder hidden away in her room focusing on his physical growth. Knowing that it was supposed to be a part of all this anyway would decrease the chances of him agreeing.

"Every day?" he smiled. Nana fought against the shiver racing down her spine, refusing to budge.

"Every four days," she corrected, voice like steel. "I know you will still have to deal with your other tutors during the rest of the week. If you manage to do their lessons as well as the ones here without any... incidents, then once every three months I will take you on a trip outside of Namimori."

Nana had never seen such a focused education plan, and she had been in an extremely influential boarding school for years. Not that she'd turn down the chance to go on a trip with Tsuna; he would love it.

The demon child closed his eyes, posture far less tense than it had been when he walked in. Silver eyes slipped open, a sharp smirk tugging his face to the side.

"Deal."

Got him.

Nana nodded, reaching across the table to shake his hand. "Then for today, we will both work on a plan for the challenges. I have a few ground rules of my own I would like to add but they should not interfere in the difficulties of the challenges."

He looked displeased but not surprised. Good. He was getting used to her safety requirements (she couldn't even count the number of times she had to tell him _no knives_).

"Let's begin."

-00-

**One week later**

It was in the middle of dinner when her phone went off. Nana glanced at it, eyes catching on the familiar bank logo.

Ah, that's right. She was supposed to get paid by the Hibari's today.

_"They are extremely well off," _Snake reminded her, as though she could possibly forget after seeing their flippin mansion a little while ago. _"Perhaps you should finish your food before you check that."_

And because Nana lived off of seventy percent spite for him she took several large bites before tapping her phone's screen and bringing up her banking app.

"Nana!" Lavina cried, reaching over to pat her back when she collapsed onto the table.

"Mama, breathe!" Tsuna kicked his legs out from his chair. He couldn't reach her so he just threw a piece of broccoli at her with the hope that if it hit her hard enough it would knock whatever was stopping her from breathing out.

"Too m-many... zeroes..." she fell over, coughing harshly.

_"I did warn you."_

-00-

**Three months later**

"That is _it!"_

Lavina jumped, startled by the loud shout. She was in the living room, dusting off the pictures on the bookshelf. Setting the duster down she rolled herself to the kitchen.

"Nana?" she called softly, peeking in.

Nana threw the box that had come in the mail to the floor with an enraged yell. Kicking it harshly he stormed down the other hallway. Lavina rushed to catch up.

"Nana, what's wrong?"

"_You're not thinking straight_," he mocked under his breath, voice pitched low. Throwing open his closet he started tossing outfits behind him onto the bed. "_See reason. _Well, I don't see a reason not to march over there and _beat the shit out of you, you arrogant, self-centered, piece of-!"_

Lavina reached out, her fingers curling gently around Nana's wrist.

Nana froze, looking down at her.

Tugging them back Lavina guided them to the bed. He sat down, eyes downcast.

"Nana," Lavina slid her hand up to curl their fingers together. "What's wrong?"

"It's-," he started before sighing deeply. "It's Iemitsu. Again."

Lavina hummed, rubbing her thumb over their knuckles encouraginly. "He didn't sign?"

"That's one reason," he rolled his eyes. "He sent a letter with this one too. He said I wasn't thinking straight because I didn't have all the facts. That I needed to see reason because he knows this isn't what I want. He said if I truly no longer loved him and wanted a divorce then he would sign in a heartbeat but then he turns around and tells me I can't know what I should do without knowing why he did it _without fucking telling me why he did it and-!"_

"Nana," she spoke quietly, bringing them back. "What do you want to do?"

"I want to kick his ass," Nana huffed, eyes narrowed.

"Okay," Lavina nodded. "Let's go then."

Nana pulled back a bit but she didn't let them go. "What?"

"Let's go," she repeated. "He clearly isn't getting the message and you don't want to make things a big deal right? For Tsuna?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"No buts," she reached out and grabbed their other hand. "Maybe he doesn't know how serious you are because he hasn't actually seen you. Seen how much he hurt you and how much he still is. If he is able to see that, _really_ see and a part of him loves you as much as he claims he does then he'll have to sign them."

Nana looked away. "And if he doesn't?"

"Then I'm telling Hibari-san."

Nana laughed, loud and shocked. "You're tattling on him to Hibari-san?"

"All three of them!"

"Oh, god, Lavina no," he chuckled. "They might actually kill him."

"Good."

Nana was smiling now but he was still avoiding her eyes. Lavina frowned.

"Why are you so scared to see him?" she wondered.

He flinched, smile faltering. "...Damn. You're always way too good at this."

She waited patiently. With Tsuna at school and Nana's day off today it was the perfect time for a conversation she had been wanting to have since she moved in.

"I'm just- I'm just worried," Nana looked down at their hands. "I still love him. He's been a real dick lately, but I know that if he seriously thought I wanted this then he would go through with it. He's just being a self-centered prick by thinking he knows me better than I know myself."

Lavina paused. "Do you want this?"

"Of course not," he scoffed. "Who would want _this_. But he messed up. I can _never_ trust him around Tsuna again. I don't want him anywhere near him, and that means never seeing him again. He can never come back here. Pretending everything is okay and that one day all this will just be brushed under the rug is unfair to both of us. He'll think we've forgiven him and I might try to convince myself that I actually do. I can't betray Tsuna like that."

The slow thumping noise of the dryer echoed through the walls, keeping the atmosphere lighter than it might have been had it been in a completely silent place. It let Nana pause and think without feeling suffocated.

"If I see his face I don't know what I'll do," he admitted. "I believed in him _so much_, Lavina. I'm afraid I'll convince myself that- that everything is okay or somethi-"

"You won't," Lavina cut in fiercely. She leaned forwards, forcing eye contact. "Because of Tsuna."

Nana stared at her, face blank. The gears twisted in his head, slow but steady.

A moment later he was laughing again. A few tears escaped the sides of his eyes but his laughter was light and easy. It wasn't shocked, just relieved.

"It's that easy," he shook his head, grin wide and shaky. "Why didn't I realize that before?"

Lavina patted their hands with a small smile. "You get lost in your own head sometimes. You need to trust in yourself more Nana."

He clasped her hands between his, expression melting from tense anger to fond gratitude. "Well, if you're saying it, it must be true."

"That's right," she nodded. "Now, when are we going to Italy? You're supposed to be taking little Kyoya-kun on a trip soon anyway, right?"

"Oh, shit," Nana paled suddenly. "Uh, I really don't think it's such a good idea to bring him."

"Of course it is," she smiled. "I'm sure he would love Italy. And he can keep an eye on you too! Tsuna-kun can come with me to visit Hayato and Kyoya-kun can go with you when you meet Iemitsu. To keep an eye on you."

"You said that twice," Nana deadpanned. "Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

"No, I don't think so."

Nana lowered his head. "You're always so cruel Lavina."

"Now you're just contradicting yourself."

"Fine!" he threw his hands up in defeat. "Fine, we'll do it your way. But, if I'm going to be facing my romantic problems then you have to as well."

Lavina glanced away. "I don't know what you're-"

"You have to at least have dinner with Gokudera-san while we're there. And not those cheap microwaveables you keep cheating with! I mean a real, honest to goodness dinner date with roses, and candles, and no kids!"

"Nana, he's a married man."

"Ah, ah, ah," he waved his finger back and forth. "As I recall it was an _arranged_ marriage and neither of them really like each other anyway. They've both been looking for an out as I hear it, so suck it up buttercup and get ready to be swept off your feet! Or sweep his feet, whichever you two are into."

"Nana!" Lavina flushed deeply, hiding her face away behind her hands.

"What? You can't pretend you haven't done the do Lavina! You guys have a kid!"

_"Nana!"_

-00-

"Takeshi keep your seatbelt on. Tsu-kun, we can't eat ye- Kyoya! Sit your ass down!"

Admittedly, taking three small children on board an overseas flight with the only other adult besides herself being someone who couldn't help wrangle them in even if she wanted to (which she did not) was more of a challenge than she had been expecting.

Both Aiko and Tsuyoshi had been _thrilled _when Lavina told them about the trip and how Hayato was so excited to see his friend. This, of course, eventually led to the decision that Takeshi would be joining them while the happy couple enjoyed a week of time all to themselves.

Tsuyoshi had not at all been deterred by Nana reminding him of his mental breakdown over Takeshi going to school for a few hours.

"That is completely different!" he beamed, drawing Aiko to his side with an arm over her shoulders. "That had been a sign of his mental growth and maturity as he slowly ages and begins to form his own path before inevitably leaving us behind to lead his own life. This is just kids having fun, it'll be fine!"

Nana hadn't really known how to respond to that so she just accepted her fate and welcomed the mini-moto aboard.

Kyoya's departure had even less fanfare. Natsuki said she would see him in a week before patting him on the head and walking out the door towards work. Kouske and Kyoya had some kind of weird stare down (Nana was banking on mental telepathy) before nodding to each other. That was it.

Now, here she was with three balls of chaotic energy (even Tsuna was acting out a bit, which shocked her poor heart down to its core) and a useless roommate who already had her sleeping mask on and headphones in.

"Lavina, help me!" she demanded.

Lavina released a squeaky, completely fucking fake snore.

It was going to be a long twelve hours.

-00-

"Miss. Lavina!" Hayato flung himself out of his chair to rush towards her. He looked next to her and his pace quickened. _"Tsuna!"_

Nana winced a little at the impact the silverette made, sending both boys tumbling to the floor in a heap of limbs. Tsuna was laughing so she assumed he was fine.

"Hey, Hayato!" Takeshi greeted, leaning over the two with a grin. "Do I get a hug?"

Hayato looked so disgusted Nana had to turn her head to hide a laugh.

"What are _you _doing here?"

Lavina frowned, tapping his head. "That's very mean Hayato. He came all this way to visit you and that's how you greet him?"

The pale boy flushed. Looking down with shame he offered a quiet apology.

"No worries," Takeshi slung an arm around his shoulder. "I know you're not really that grumpy."

Hayato bristled like a cat.

Nana looked around. She felt suddenly, inexplicably on edge.

"Where is Kyoya?" she panicked, twisting around as though he were somehow hiding behind her. "I'll be right back, Tsu-kun stay with Lavina! You too Takeshi!"

"Yes Mama." "Okay!"

Nana rushed out of the room, racing down the corridors furiously. This house (_castle_) looked seriously expensive. No matter how much the Hibari couple paid her she did not want to have to pay off whatever damages their son caused as he roamed freely about.

She didn't even have time to worry about meeting Iemtisu tomorrow (she'd sent a letter to kindly inform him hell was on its way to greet him) with how much trouble the kids were managing to get into.

"Kyoya!" she hissed, spotting him up on the second-floor balcony along the main hall. "Get down here!"

He looked down his nose at her. With a smirk and a tiny laugh she couldn't so much as hear but rather _felt_ he turned around and walked through the doors behind him.

"Kyoya!"

At least this was giving her a chance to look around. Silver linings, right?

-00-

So.

Iemitsu was part of the mafia.

Nana did not figure this out through Iemitsu. No, she still hadn't even seen him yet. Nor did she find out from the man that was taking her to _see_Iemitsu (she was pretty sure his name was a nickname or something because who the hell named their kid "Ganauche"). Kyoya had been chilling in the back with her because she refused to sit next to a random ass stranger no matter how much Iemitsu vouched for him. In fact, that probably only fueled her distrust for him. She planned to strong-arm Iemtisu into signing (she was getting much stronger thanks to her new, excruciating workout routine) and then taking Kyoya around to find fun things for them all to do.

It wasn't even Snake that told her that her husband was part of an illegal crime syndicate (although apparently, he had mentioned it, seeing as how he was surprised when she asked him. Maybe him being shocked about her listening to him hadn't been so weird after all). Nope. Not a peep out of Snake.

Oh no. No, it was the _kidnappers_ that told her. In great length. With details.

Apparently the Italian Mafia was not only still going strong, but was so intrinsically tied in with the society around it that they were practically running the country. The Vongola Family (all those discussions about clams made so much more sense now) was at the tippy top of it all and Iemitsu was a very important member of the Vongola. The old man that had come by their house what seemed like ages ago? Was the boss.

_Neat._

On the plus side, Kyoya had about as much patience for all that bullshit as she did. It definitely helped that after the car crash the poor fools had tied them up with rope instead of metal. Amateurs.

Being home to almost a one-hundred percent female population Nana's boarding school had been very... strict about certain things. Being able to defend and save yourself was one of those things.

"Kyoya, don't kill them," Nana reprimanded, swinging the rope that originally tied up her ankles around so it caught the next guard in the face. She couldn't harden things very much without touching them, but she could do enough to make that feel like a metal bat instead of a length of rope. This was good practice.

Kyoya grinned, all sharp teeth and bloodlust as he leaped at the next person to walk through the door. Nana was pretty sure the blood on his face wasn't his. She felt a little torn about that.

A shrill cry of fear from the corner had her whipping around with a gentle smile on her face, rope wrapping around her arm to smash into the face of the man trying to sneak over.

"It's okay!" she said as comfortingly as she could with the mass chaos going on around them. "Don't worry, you'll be out of here soon okay?"

Three pairs of eyes stared back at her with varying emotions. Most of them looked scared, but the oldest of the kids still looked suspicious. Like this was all some trap to make them feel like they were escaping before their hopes were inevitably crushed.

Nana hit the next guy harder.

At first she had thought these guys were just your run of the mill thugs looking to cash in on a ransom. They clearly did not invest very much into training their men to say as little as possible (or they just weren't planning on letting them leave alive) because the man that had been watching over them until Kyoya roundhouse kicked him into oblivion was very forthcoming with information.

Firstly, he let them know exactly who Iemitsu was and why they had kidnapped them. The letter Nana sent had been intercepted and they all wanted to know who was aiming for the Young Lion of the Vongola's head on a platter.

Nana laughed at the name.

Secondly the man told them about what his people did. They were a family every other mafia group hated (Nana could see why) because of their illegal experimentatoins. Around that point was when he had gone down like a sack of bricks and Nana hadn't really thought further on that fact until they were running down the hallway and she had just so happened to peek into a window leading into another room as they passed.

These guys experimented on kids. One of them, the smallest, had almost been injected with something before she had shattered the glass to get in. The young boy (he'd introduced himself as Tony as soon as she proved she wasn't an enemy by bashing the white-coat wearing bastard's head through his own computer screen) lead them to cells further in the back.

It had been horrifying.

Nana shook her head, catching another guard around the ankle and pulling. She couldn't think about that right now. She had to get them all out of there and somewhere safe.

Once the last guard in the room was down she went over and kneeled down in front of them. "It's okay," she repeated, softer this time. "We're almost out, okay?"

"Can' leabe!" one of the boys suddenly shouted, looking angry. His strong lisp made it difficult to understand him, but from the awkwardly large size of his teeth Nana couldn't blame him for finding it hard to talk. It was like someone had taken adult sized dentures, sharpened the canines to ridiculously sharp points, and then glued them into his mouth. "Can' leabe him!"

Nana glanced at the thick bandages over the bridge of his nose and around his head. She hadn't been able to do much outside of basic first-aid for the moment but all the bandages seemed to be holding strong. "Can't leave who? Are there others like you here?"

The black-haired boy nodded, fiddling with the sleeves of his white shirt. Every few seconds he would meet her gaze, squinting suspiciously. He mumbled something, barely audible.

"I'm sorry, I can't hear you," Nana leaned a bit closer, hands up so they knew she meant no harm. "Can you say that again?"

"M-Mukuro, he's still here," the boy stuttered, glancing from her to the floor.

"Okay," she nodded. "We'll find him too."

And oh boy, did they find him.

He was only a few doors down. Kyoya, being the inhumanely strong hell-beast that he was, nearly tore the door from its hinges. Nana managed to catch up to him before he could charge in, but only because he was busy staring at whatever was past the door.

A boy that looked a bit older than the others was in the middle of the room, eyes staring dazedly at the floor.

As much as she wanted to storm in and help him she couldn't stop her automatic reaction of stepping back. Hooking an arm around Kyoya's throat she held him back, refusing to let him any closer.

The boy turned to look at them, gaze drifting from her and Kyoya to the children huddled behind her. He had heterchromia but something was wrong with one of his eyes. The blue one looked fine, but the iris of the red one looked wrong. Not round, like it should be, but like it was forming a shape. It looked kind of like Kanji but she couldn't be sure right then.

Totally cool. Words for eyes; not the weirdest thing she's encountered. The bodies surrounding him and the three-pronged knife in his hand was what made her hesitant to approach.

"We're escaping," she told him, straight to the point. He looked about Kyoya's age, maybe a bit older.

He looked back at the other children. Slowly he nodded, stepping towards them. Nana forced herself to stand still as he approached. Kyoya was fighting against her fiercely but she held fast. The kid was setting alarm bells blaring through her skull and it wasn't because the weapon still clutched in his hand. It wasn't even the blood.

Snake had been jabbering on in her ear from the moment they had been captured. Now, even as she called to him, he stayed silent.

Something wasn't right.

The boy stepped up to her, paused, then continued past her.

Nana breathed out a sigh of relief. Her hold loosened a bit and Kyoya slashed her arm away from him.

"Ow," she pouted, rubbing her elbow. He scowled at her.

They continued their search for the exit with one more tagalong. Nana swore there were times the new kid would just disappear but when she turned to look for him he would be back, staring straight at her. Smiling. She was kind of hoping it was her imagination too, but the smell of blood got a little bit stronger each time it happened.

They didn't run into any more guards.

"Yes!" Nana cheered when they threw open another door and it led to open skies. They were surrounded by old, dilapidated buildings. Everything looked abandoned.

"We'll be parting ways here," a smooth voice commented casually from directly behind her.

Nana froze a bit before turning. The boy was looking up at her, lips upturned.

"D-do you have a place to go?" she wondered, looking them all over. Her heart ached.

"Yes," his eyes closed, knife twirling in his hand. "We do."

She so wanted to call bullshit on that but something about how the kid talked, the way he moved, made her very hesitant to do so.

"I... I guess I can't stop you if you really want to go," she realized, scratching the back of her neck. It was awful, leaving them to their own devices, but the Mukuro boy was screaming 'danger'. As it was, she didn't think she could stop them without accidentally hurting them more than they already were. Thinking about it she reached into her back pocket. "In that case, at least take this."

The kids looked down at the plastic card in her hands with befuddled eyes.

"It's like money," she explained. "If you use this you can get clothes and food, even a safe place to spend the night."

She wondered if they even understood the concept of money. Kneeling down she gently grabbed Tony's hands (he seemed the least likely to try to kill her). Placing the debit card in his hands she curled his fingers around it.

"I wrote my number on the back of that too," she tapped it. "If you ever need help just use a phone to call that number and I'll do what I can."

Tony and the blonde kid were looking at her with wide eyes, the smallest one with narrowed ones. Mukuro was still smiling.

"We should get going," he said pleasantly.

"Oh," Nana blinked at the suddenness of it all. Was there anything she could say to make them stay? "What-"

They were gone. She heard Kyoya breath in sharply from behind her but when they looked around there was no sign of the kids. It was like they had vanished.

Like some kind of magical cue was given several cars turned the corner down the street. Nana shot to her feet but a familiar head of blond hair sticking out of one of the passenger side windows had her change her mind from running _away_ to charging _towards_.

Iemitsu hadn't been out of the car for a second before his head was cracking to the side. His cheek was a burning red from where she had punched him.

"Nana," he breathed, completely ignoring the pain. He held his hands out to check on her but she slapped them away.

_"You,"_ she hissed. Everything over the last year and a half came tumbling down, adding fuel to the fire. The entire time they had been running through that place her mind had been flashing back to the orange flames on her son's head flickering, then disappearing. An unwanted burden on a child's heart. A piece of them torn away by adults that didn't care what they wanted. What was best for _them. _Now she learned he was a part of the mafia and had ties, good or bad, to the people that had- had _hurt _those kids. Made a little boy so broken and dangerous it actually made her hesitate to talk to him. "Did you _know_."

He paused, eyes flickering to the building behind her. Motioning for the men surrounding them to move in he shook his head.

"I didn't know they would take you Nana, I _swear-"_

_"No,"_ she bit, hands clenched so tightly they were leaving half-moon imprints in her palm. "Did you know about the _children_. What they were _doing_to them."

Gods did she want him to say no. To look her in the eye and say 'what children?' with all the concern and kind-heartedness she knew had once been there.

He looked away.

Nana punched him again, hard enough to make him stagger. The fact that he just stood there, accepting the hit, made her angrier.

"The papers were destroyed in the crash," she told him, ice creeping into her veins. Stepping backward she reached out to make sure Kyoya was still near her. His shoulder brushed the tips of her fingers and she relaxed a bit. "This time, _you_ are going to file them. You will fill them all out, and then send them to me. Once they are in the mail you are _never_ going to contact me or Tsunayoshi ever again."

"Nana," he called softly, just the way he used to. "Please, it doesn't have to be like this. Just let me explain-"

"You. Will. Sign. Them," she enunciated. "If you don't I will start to involve the law. I doubt you want that kind of attention on you, given your _job_."

He paled a little, face tightening. "Nana, I still love you."

"I don't."

It was cold, drained of all emotion. He flinched back a bit, eyes wide.

"I love the man I married," Nana shook her head. "The man I _thought_ you were. I don't love _you_."

He looked like he had been stabbed. For one, awful moment, Nana almost wished he had been. Just enough for him to feel what she had been feeling for years. What those children had been forced to feel.

She was surprised, way back in far corners of her brain that were not consciously working, that Kyoya was being so silent. He hated drama, of any kind, and she would have never expected him to stay there surrounded by all these problems that were not his own.

"...I'll sign them."

It was soft. Pained.

Nana turned on her heel, hand brushing Kyoya's shoulder again, and started to walk away. No goodbyes. Nothing.

She was done with this shit.

-00-

"-and then Kyoya decided the best way to get out of there was just punch our way out, which turned out surprisingly okay, but Iemitsu showed up not even two seconds after the kids disappeared," Nana explained, sipping at her hot chocolate.

Lavina munched away at her quiche, riveted like a child during story time. "What did you tell him?" she managed to get out around a mouthful of food.

"Basically to fuck off," Nana admitted, mouth twisting. "He said he'd sign them and, against every bit of common sense life has ingrained in me, I believe he will. Even if he doesn't I've got dirt on him now. Things'll work out."

Lavina swallowed, scooping up her tea to take a delicate sip (how she managed to look graceful when scarfing down a whole quiche in under three minutes remains a mystery to Nana). "Do you have any idea where the children went?"

"No," she deflated a bit. "They haven't used my card yet. I don't even know if they ever will. I doubt they trust a word out of my mouth so they might've just tossed it the second they could."

The look on Mukuro's face, with empty eyes and cold smiles, still made her shudder a bit. He had not seemed to be a child, even if he looked like one. The other kids trusted him, though, and she had to trust that he would look after them at the very least.

"Hopefully they'll use it if they need to," she shook her head. "I'll make sure to always have money there, in case they ever do."

Lavina reached out to grab her hand. "I'm sorry Nana. I had no idea it would turn out like this."

Nana laughed a bit. "Of course not, who could predict something like that? And hey, it's not all bad. Those kids got out, right? Who knows how long they would have been trapped down there if those idiots hadn't tried to kidnap the literal child of Satan?"

Something sharp hit the side of her head. Nana grabbed the airborne chopstick, whipping around to glare at the ravenette eating his own lunch across the room.

"You can't get mad about the truth Kyoya," she lectured, dodging the second chopstick.

Lavina sighed as the two started to circle each other. This trip was turning out to be more exciting that she had thought it would. At least she had a nice dinner to look forward to that night.

"Shit!" Nana shrieked as she was knocked back and over the couch.

-00-

The Gokudera family: Normal(ish)

When they were leaving Hayato had been misty-eyed. He hugged Tsuna goodbye with all the arm strength of a baby octopus before glaring at Takeshi and warning him to not mess up (whatever that meant) until he could be by Tsuna's side himself. He then gave Lavina a big hug, offering her a little flower bracelet that the woman seemed adamant to never take off. Ever.

Nana now knew why he didn't call her 'mom' but if things continued as they were she was sure the kid would figure it out sooner or later. He was a smart boy.

Gokudera-san was... extremely romantic when in Lavina's presence. Whenever Nana had been near him he was all business. Professional, to the point of seeming a tad cold, but always sure to show his thanks for taking care of Lavina. When he was around _her_ though it was all roses budding in the distant, waxing poetic lines of love, and Nana swore to god she saw some of those shojo sparkles floating around the two when he wished her a safe trip home.

Snake had (correctly) assumed she didn't know he was also part of the mafia so he let her know on the long walk back to the hotel that inevitably turned into a race once Kyoya got tired of her moping. Nana found she didn't particularly care. There had been a decent amount of girls at her school (a shocking majority, really) that had been part of some criminal family so she supposed she was kind of desensitized to it but she could also remember back in her last life when she had been roaming around the streets as a kid. You didn't get to pick the life you were born into, you just had to try to make the best of it. Gokudera-san seemed like an okay guy. She'd be doing... research on him (without Lavina's knowledge of course) just to be sure.

In fact, she'd be doing quite a bit of research on a large selection of people now.

Snake approved. The promise of her listening to all his stories again made him sound worryingly happy (Nana was actually starting to feel worried about him).

The Yamamoto family: Normal

When Nana had dropped off Takeshi the boy was immediately swooped up into his parent's arms and smothered with love. All three were excited to share stories of what happened while they were apart and Nana left with the biggest smile on her face. A little bit of an ache too (that was what she wished they could have had) but only a small one. It was good enough to have them in her life.

The Hibari Family: Abnormal

Hibari Natsuki greeted her son at the door like he was just coming back from a trip to the store. Nana had quickly bowed and explained (briefly) why they were both covered in scrapes and bruises but Natsuki had seemed unperturbed. Instead, she had looked proud. She asked Nana how he did like it had been a typical math test. The woman had looked Nana up and down, focusing in on the scrape along her neck she had gotten from pushing the blonde kid out of harm's way, before crossing her arms and staring down at Kyoya again. He'd been weirdly grumpy after that.

Kouske had stared (again) before nodding (again) and returning to his computer. Nana never knew what it was he typed on there but with how often his fingers looked like literal blurs she wasn't sure she wanted to know. That had to be, like, one hundred words a second.

The Sawada Family: Tired

Tsuna had conked out the second they got into the taxi. Nana had dropped him and Lavina off first so the two could rest and when she peeked in on them after returning home she was pleased to see them both snoozing away. Tsuna had kicked his blankets off, but a simple sushi roll tuck was an easy deterrent to make.

Feeling grimy and gross from the long flight she decided to take a bath before bed. Sinking into the warm water until it was just below her nose she closed her eyes and let her thoughts drift.

A newly printed set of divorce papers had been waiting with the Gokudera family butler (why did everyone have a butler all of the sudden?) when she woke up that morning. They were picture perfect copies of the originals, except with Iemitsus name scribbled on the bottom with a blank space waiting for hers.

She'd always thought there would be a sadness in her heart when everything was said and done with. A mourning for a love she never thought she would lose.

With everything that had happened, there had only been relief.

When she had been younger she had needed Iemtisu. She'd played it off, pushed it to the far corners of her mind never to see the light of day, but she had always felt like a stuffed animal filled to bursting. The seams were going to come undone and eventually everything she bottled up would come spilling out leaving too little behind to be repaired. Iemtisu helped her keep it together. Sat up with her when she was confused or dysphoric, taking care of her with the only questions being asked about if she wanted something to eat or drink. She needed that love, that understanding, to keep going strong.

She didn't need that anymore.

Dysphoria was rare now, especially surrounded by so many open-minded amazing people. Even in the few moments it would begin to creep up on her she knew how to take care of herself. How to center herself to think through things and get back to baseline. She had people that listened to her when she needed help and offered it with a warm smile and an open hand. Finally, _finally_, she was feeling comfortable in her own skin. Like she belonged there.

She had Aiko and Tsuyoshi; their constant radiating optimism filling her with a kind of courage she had only ever felt around her siblings from before.

She had Lavina and her miraculous way of making everything seem okay even when her own body was fighting against her.

Natsuki and Kouske, even though they were so amazing, took time to actually talk to her and subtly push her to be better. Kyoya gave her goals a shape outside of hopes for the future and offered her the added drive and ambition she needed to get there.

She had Tsuna.

A little boy who looked up at her like she was his whole world. Who saw 'mama' and 'papa' as Nana. Who cried when he thought he would hurt her by being unaware. Who loved her so much he burst into tears when she picked him up from his first day of school.

Iemitsu was the reason she was here today. The reason she had been strong enough to make it here; to make the decision to have Tsuna. He supported her in a time she felt alone and lost. Where the voice always in her head was still an unknown enemy instead of the (very) tentative friend she was starting to see him as. She would always be grateful to him for that. She would always love him for that.

She didn't need that anymore.

Humming to herself Nana dunked her head under the water. As it rose above her head, warmth tingling over her scalp, she let it go.

**-00-**

**Rokudo Mukuro lives in a pineapple under the sea. Cause he lives under his hair. Get it?**  
**...**  
**Anyways! Time-skips are for real now. Iemitsu is fully out of the picture until future canon dumbassery works its way into his brain and Nana has moved on! Tough luck buddy.**  
**Tony is alive and well! For anyone that has not read the manga or just forgot (I know I did for a while there) Tony was a kid that was friends with Ken and Chikusa before he died during an experiment one day. Now he's not dead! (but some other people are)**  
**Also, I know I kind of insinuated that Iemitsu knew exactly what was going down with Mukuro and crew but he really didn't. He knew they were experimenting on kids cause, you know, it's the Estraneo family. They're like that. But he didn't know any specifics. Nana would still be pissed either way, cause kids, but just so you all know! I'm not trying to demonize him any more than his canon typical actions do.**


	8. Secrets

**A Tsuna chapter**  
**Nana thinks on how to parent**  
**Only approach a Mochida if you have a Lion in your pocket**

**-00-**

Secrets

**-00-**

Sawada Tsunayoshi was… odd.

All the teachers agreed. His academics were normal, even though most of them witnessed first hand how much he struggled with regular concepts. His mother had a very clear learning structure at home to help make up for the materials he fell behind on so he never really stuck out to his peers as being either exceptional or behind. He was completely average in his studies.

Athletically he was an anomaly. Physically he could keep up with some of the boys in the older grades. He was very quick and had a lot more strength than his small form led others to believe. This was greatly overshadowed by his painful lack of coordination. Any sports involving equipment led to almost comical incidents and even ones like the track team had him finishing a lap behind everyone else because he had fallen so many times.

This was not why he was odd. In fact, it wasn't even _him_ that was odd. It was the people around him.

When Tsuna was five-years-old he started preschool with his best friend Yamamoto Takeshi and soon after befriended Sasagawa Kyoko. These friendships never died and the trio moved on to elementary school with Kyoko barely meeting the age cut off date to join her friends in their first year. At first, no one thought anything of it. Not until both Takeshi and Kyoko started progressing leagues above their classmates in different ways.

Takeshi was a veritable sports genius, baseball being his game of choice, and all the other students thought he was the coolest thing since the creations of air (like elementary schoolers were wont to do). It helped that he was always kind and joyful, making everyone around him feel at ease.

Kyoko took to her studies like a fish to water. Encouraged by her friends to help them in their less than stellar comprehension she worked hard to become the top of her class always so that whatever question they had for her she would absolutely be able to answer. This extended to her classmates as well and, paired with her increasing adorable charm, she soon had a garden full of blossoming crushes throughout the grade.

In comparison, Tsuna had no visibly outstanding qualities. He was shy to approach and would often hide underneath his fluffy brown hair whenever he was without his friends. He would talk to other students when they were around and even enjoy himself, but he often found himself pushed out of the conversation when the two were involved.

This was when he began to realize he was a little bit different.

When Tsuna turned six he asked if he could walk to school alone from now on. Nana had felt immediately crushed and he rushed to assure them it wasn't because he didn't love them anymore. He just wanted to be a big kid first, before Takeshi and Kyoko.

Nana allowed it. Tsuna had not thought to question the fact that Kyo-kun started walking (chasing) him to school after Nana stopped walking him.

People started to notice he would spend his mornings with the Hibari heir, especially after Tsuna began to share the snacks Nana had made so long as they jogged instead of sprinted.

Besides the odd company he often kept, most people still wrote Tsuna off in the back of their minds. They knew he was friends with the most popular (and dangerous) people in the school, but he kept to himself so no one really bothered with him. His grades were good enough that the teachers could move on from him to other students that needed help and so long as he was well behaved he was left to his own devices.

When Tsuna turned eight the Mochida family moved into town. They had a son that was around Tsuna's age but was just close enough to the age cut off date to be placed in the year above him. They had recess at the same time, but he was always running around with the more energetic kids and Tsuna never had the chance to talk to him.

The Mochida parents seemed nice enough, the few times he had met them when out in the town with Nana. They had been perfectly polite and Tsuna hadn't bothered to pay much attention to what they were talking about because they didn't have any colors he could see but the little girl that had been across the street was the prettiest color of indigo he had ever seen in his _life _. The only time he had ever felt nervous around them was when they had come into the Sushi Shop while Nana and Lavina were visiting.

He had called for his papa, rushing into the room to show off the picture him and Takeshi had drawn, and suddenly the room felt not right anymore.

Tsuna had not understood the questions they started asking his dad, he only knew that they were upsetting him. Aunt Lavina had looked really angry and Mr. Yamamoto was frowning. He didn't even know the man _could _frown.

Papa told him to go back and play with Takeshi. When it was time to go home the couple was gone and Tsuna never saw them at the Sushi Shop again.

He saw their son though.

All of a sudden it was like Kensuke hated him. Tsuna didn't know what he had done wrong but the slightly older boy kept pestering him on the playground. He would make fun of Tsuna when he fell, encouraging his classmates to join in. A lot of them didn't but… some of them did.

Takeshi was always playing baseball at recess. Kyoko had book club meetings with her friends. Tsuna didn't want to bother them so he didn't mention it. It was only words after all. He could ignore words.

Then they started calling him Dame-Tsuna. It hadn't mattered, because he didn't know what Dame meant at the time. Shortly after he turned nine they covered it in class one day. It hurt more than he thought it would.

Kensuke noticed.

Tsuna guessed he was jealous because Takeshi always refused to play with him unless Tsuna joined (Tsuna didn't join often; he always held his team back) and Kyoko walked home with him every day. Tsuna wasn't dumb, he knew the other boy had a crush on her (from what he could tell everyone did) but he didn't think Kyoko would ever like someone that enjoyed making fun of others. Whatever the reason, it started to become his nickname. It even managed to trickle over to students in other classes; other grades. Tsuna had seen how rumors could spread through the whole school, but those had been good ones. Like how Kyoko was actually a fairy or Takeshi was the reincarnation of an old baseball star. They weren't harmful, just little things that made his friends seem even more amazing than they already were.

This one didn't make Tsuna look amazing. It made him look stupid. It made him feel small.

He wanted to tell Mama. Mama always knew what to do, how to make him feel better. He wanted to tell her how sad he was and how frustrated he felt when he saw he was falling behind again. How he hated having to study so hard, wasting her time because they would spend hours at the kitchen table with them explaining things until he understood. Mama would understand. Mama would help him, always.

Mama would be hurt.

Kensuke made fun of Tsuna for more than just himself. He made fun of Mama too. For being alone (even though Mama was never really alone, he thought) and for being Papa too. For being _different _like Tsuna. And if his words could hurt Tsuna this bad would they hurt Mama like that too? Mama was strong, stronger than anyone, but Tsuna remembered.

The time when Mama's smiles were fake. When Papa laughed like he would cry if he didn't. How Tsuna once saw them, curled over the kitchen table with a big stack of papers and saying words they told Tsuna never to say. How they cried when they threw the ring that had once always been on their finger out the window when they thought he was asleep. How Papa had looked when Kensuke's parents started asking him questions Tsuna didn't understand, didn't _want _to understand if they made Papa look like _that._

So Tsuna stayed silent. If telling Mama would hurt her, even a little bit, then he could do this much. Mama always protected him, so this time he would protect them.

Three months later, sitting outside of the principal's office with a bruise around his wrist and scrapes on his face, he refused to talk to any of the other adults. They would try to help him too, and to do that they would get Papa. They would tell Papa.

Papa walked in the doorway and Tsuna started to cry. He really was just Dame-Tsuna.

-00-

Nana was a pretty laid back guy. Sure he had his moments of intense panic or anger but those were always under extenuating circumstances. Like being reborn. Or having a baby. Or anything Snake did because he was an unnatural annoying little shit. Or finding out your husband was part of a vast criminal conglomerate and condoned child violence.

Stuff like that.

Nana did not like conflict. It made him stressed and ruined his day which just wasn't worth it, you know? 'Go with the flow' was a huge lifestyle he adhered to. Eighty percent of the time it was usually better to just let things happen and adjust where needed.

Twenty percent of the time there was too much bullshit to be acceptable and Nana had to force a change.

"Tsuna," Nana crouched down in front of the chair he was curled up in, steadfastly ignoring the eyes of the Principal's Secretary on his back. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

Tsuna was a soft-spoken kid. His voice was honey sweet and he always let Nana know when something was wrong. The fact that all he did was bury his head further in his knees was telling.

So was the finger-shaped bruises around his wrist.

"Tsunayoshi," Nana said, softly but sternly. He softened the words further by running a hand over his hair, checking for any bumps. "I'm about to go talk to your principal. I want to hear what you have to say before I do okay? So that I don't misunderstand anything."

One big brown eye peeked out at her, red-rimmed and watery. Nana tried not to let the little waver in his heart show on his face.

"What happened on the playset."

He made sure not to make it sound like a question. He didn't often speak too sternly to his son, so the few times he did Tsuna always knew how serious he was.

Rubbing at his eyes Tsuna uncurled a bit. Enough for Nana to see the long scrape along his cheek to match the smaller one crossing over his left eyebrow. They looked like they had been cleaned so he stomped down his automatic reaction to fret.

"M-Mochida-senpai was on the slides," Tsuna stuttered a bit but managed to keep his voice steady. Nana patted his head both as a 'good job' and a 'keep going'. "He was just standing there so I- I went up to go past him so I could slide down." His small fingers drifted over his wrist, face tightening. "H-he grabbed my wrist and wouldn't let me go down. It hurt a lot, b-but when I told him he just… laughed."

Nana frowned.

"Has he done anything like this before?"

Tsuna looked away, fingers coiling in his shirt. He was shuttering himself off, which told Nana all he needed to know.

"What happened next," Nana encouraged, unsettled. Why hadn't Tsuna ever mentioned this before? Why hadn't he _noticed _?

"I a-asked him why he was being mean and he told me- he told me I deserved it!" his voice cracked a bit, new tears spilling over. "He said I was dumb, and s-slow, and I would only ever be dame-Tsuna c-cause you-!"

He cut himself off abruptly, biting down on his lip and curling inwards again. Nana felt a little pit start to form in his stomach. He had a feeling he knew where this was going.

"Because I what, Tsu-kun?"

Tsuna shook his head, refusing to say.

Nana huffed, sad and fond. _That's _why he never said anything.

Lowering his voice even further so no eavesdropping ears could intrude he grabbed the little hands curled into fists. "Thank you, for not wanting to hurt my feelings."

Tsuna's head shot up, eyes wide. "H-how-!"

He brushed a hand over his fingers, slowly uncurling them. "Because I know _you _Tsu-kun. And I know you would never want to hurt me, even if it was because of something someone else said."

Tsuna's eyes welled with tears, sniffing grossly against the snot building up in his nose. Nana would have to get him a tissue before he left.

"I won't make you tell me what he said," Nana promised. Mean words, even ones he was just repeating for the sake of retelling something, always made him upset. "But I do want you to tell me a few things. What Mochida-kun said, was it about how I'm your only parent?"

Tsuna nodded.

"I see. Was it also about how I'm a mama and a papa?"

Squinting his eyes closed he nodded again.

"Okay. Good job Tsu-kun. One last question then and you can rest okay?" Nana reached up to brush some of the tears away. "Did you mean to push Mochida-kun off the playset?"

"No!" Tsuna shook his head wildly, hands clenching once more. "No, I-I didn't want to hurt him! I was angry," he admitted easily, "but when I tried to run away Mochida-kun accidentally hit the little girl coming up to slide! S-she started to fall and I was scared she would hit her head so I tried to grab her but when I did I bumped Mochida-kun off the side and he fell! I didn't mean to hurt him!"

"Alright," Nana shushed him, pulling him into a hug. A glance backward told him that the secretary wasn't looking at them anymore, but was glancing over at the clinic door with a thoughtful look in her eyes. "I believe you Tsu-kun. You were being a good person, trying to save that little girl. I'm proud of you."

He had already been suspicious when he got the call from the school telling him Tsuna had started a fight and hurt another student on the playground. He hadn't pushed the idea away entirely, because even the sweetest kids sometimes found themselves with no idea what to do with their emotions besides let them out on what was making them feel bad, but the office hadn't given him any other information. Honestly, he doubted Tsuna had even told _them _what had happened. There had been a time he stepped on a roly-poly by accident and had been inconsolable for hours. Hurting another person (intentional or not) would have made him shut down.

"I'm going to go talk to your principal and Mochida-kun's parents, okay?" he rubbed his back in slow, circular motions. "Will you be okay here out on your own?"

"...Mh-hm," he nuzzled into Nana's shoulder for a moment, breathing slowly to calm down, before pulling away. "I'm sorry Papa."

"Don't be," Nana ruffled his hair. "You were trying to do the right thing. You didn't do anything wrong."

They would be talking about this more later, at home. If Tsuna was being bullied at school Nana needed to know. He wouldn't let Tsuna deal with that kind of shit all on his own.

Double checking that all of his injuries were minor and taken care of Nana snagged a tissue off the secretary's desk (paired with a closed lip smile) and handed them over. Tsuna was still blowing his nose when he was let into the Principal's office.

Sawatomi Hina looked up from her desk, face carefully blank. Nana took note of the way she was slowly tapping her finger alongside the arm of her chair, a clear sign of irritation. Judging by the high-pitched rant his entrance had just interrupted Nana could tell what was the cause.

Both Mochida parents turned when he walked in, the mother's head snapping so fast Nana thought (hoped) it had broken from the force.

"Sawada-san," Hina greeted, looking a little less tense. "Thank you for coming. Please, take a seat."

Nana nodded, taking the only open chair in front of her desk.

Hina flipped open a file with three pieces of paper in it, all scribbled on with children's handwriting. "Sawada-san, do you know why I asked you to come in?"

"I do," Nana nodded. "I just talked to Tsuna outside."

Mochida Mako scoffed, looking ready to throw out a sharp comment.

"That is good," Hina cut her off. "He was very upset and would not speak to me when I brought him in."

From the looks of the reports in front of her he hadn't written much either. Hina probably had difficulties reading the little bit he had put down; Tsuna's handwriting wasn't the best. He still struggled with fine motor controls sometimes.

"He should feel bad about what he did," Mochida Eiichi crossed his arms, leaning back and acting like he owned the room. "Hitting our son was a clear act of violence. He should be expelled."

Nana breathed slowly through his nose. Getting riled up would only make it easier for these clowns to get what they wanted.

He'd only met the Mochida pair five times before. Once at the park when they had first moved in where they had seemed perfectly polite and their son was off playing on the basketball court while Tsuna was trying to push Takeshi on the swings (it was adorable and Nana videotaped the whole thing). A second time at the school's opening ceremony for the year where they took one look at the empty spot beside him, the blank space on his ring finger, and stuck their noses up so high in the air they were practically staring at the ceiling. The third time was randomly in the street when he and Tsuna had gone grocery shopping and Nana just kind of blanked out as they rambled on about how perfect their son was.

The fourth time was at the Sport's Day event last year where they, with the utmost concern _of course, _mentioned how much slower Tsuna was than the other kids. Asked if, no insult intended, Nana had considered taking Tsuna to a doctor to see if his low development was a permanent concern. As soon as he was sure none of the children had been watching and Lavina was was subtly pushed away he flipped them off and went to find a new spot to watch.

Nana had done his best to avoid them after that, mainly because the desire to hold Lavina back from _whatever _she had been raring up to do was becoming difficult to find. Which meant, in the course of nearly a year, Nana managed to run into them only one more time. At the sushi shop. Because why the fuck not.

The less said about that day the better. The only thing Nana chose to keep in his thoughts about that day is the Mochida pair's reaction when Tsuna had come in calling him 'papa' (in case they ever caused trouble), Tsuyoshi's face when they started asking very… pointed questions (he'd looked _badass_), and how they no longer came by the shop. Ever. Nana loved the Yamamotos and Lavina more and more every year, which is why the very next weekend the Sushi shop was anonymously gifted with a gorgeous ivory baby grand piano (by recommendation of Kouske who may or may not have already had several researched choices waiting in neatly composed file which he delivered at exactly midnight the night after Nana decided like he had always known it would happen).

Needless to say, they didn't get along and while Nana had never actually met their son he was pretty sure they wouldn't bother to hold back on their opinions around him.

"Actually," he paced his words slow, keeping his voice even. "From what I can tell Tsuna bumped into him when he was trying to save one of the younger girls from falling off herself. He never tried to hurt Kensuke-kun intentionally."

"Please," Mako flicked her nails through her hair, rolling her eyes. "Even if it was an 'accident' he still hurt our son. He could have fallen on his head! That fall could have killed him!"

"It was more likely to kill the girl that your son knocked over when he was harming Tsuna," Nana side-eyed them. "He has bruises around his wrist that I would bet match Kensuke's hand, but perhaps you didn't notice those when you came in."

Mako, clearly related to a snake, hissed. "How _dare _you-"

"That does match the records from the clinic," Hina talked over her. The woman was clearly very much done with this whole conversation. "It also matches the reports from the girl mentioned earlier. For legal reasons I can not tell you her name, but she only has a scrape on her elbow thanks to Tsunayoshi-kun. She also mentioned that she saw Kensuke-kun grabbing Tsunayoshi-kun and laughing. She thought she saw Tsunayoshi-kun crying but she couldn't tell, so it is good that he was able to open up to you Sawada-san."

Nana liked Hina. She was a to the point, no bullshit lady.

"He was _crying?" _Eiichi snorted. "My son plays a simple joke on him and he starts to cry?"

Welp, Nana was going to punch him. Maybe not today, in front of his son's principal, but he would punch him. The day would come.

"It's normal for children to cry," Nana glared at him. "It's normal for _people _to cry. I hope you're not telling your son he is weak for doing so. It would explain why he takes things out on children younger than him though."

Eiichi sat up, shoulders raised and instantly aggressive. "Are you questioning my parenting? If anyone should be being questioned here it should be_you _, Sawada-san. A single parent who lets her son call her like a father? What are you teaching your child? It's no wonder the other children make fun of him, based on his family."

Nailed it.

Nana turned to Hina, who looked one blink away from a migraine.

"I think I see the problem now," Nana informed her, hands crossing in front of him. "Tsu-kun mentioned to me that Kensuke had been making… comments about me. I had been confused because I have never met Kensuke-kun, so I'm not sure how he would know anything about our home life but I recall an incident at the Yamamoto Sushi Shop last year where the Mochida family was asked to leave for harassing me about my gender. I believe that day must have reflected on their son."

Hina turned to them now, eyebrow raised.

As the pair scrambled to explain Nana hid his smirk behind a cough. He knew Hina frequented the Sushi Shop often enough to know the Yamamotos as more than the parents of one of her students. Having them dislike someone was a huge showcase of character.

"I have no control over what happens outside of this school building," Hina shook her head once the pair started to run out of steam (Nana commended her patience). "I would like to know what you meant by 'a small joke' in regards to your son Mochida-san. You originally stated that Tsunayoshi-kun attacked your son from behind and he had no actual interactions with him."  
Mako looked between her husband and the principal, cluing in on how things were about to end.

"Sawatomi-san," she interrupted before Eiichi could dig them any deeper. "I admit we may have been too distraught by our concern for Kensuke. Perhaps he had been teasing Tsuna-kun," she ignored Nana's glare for the affectionate name, "and was misunderstood."

Hina's slow, dead-eyed blink showed exactly how much she believed that. "In either case, Kensuke-kun was the instigator and Tsunayoshi-kun acted out in the defense of another student only. As such, Kensuke-kun will be suspended for three days and be scheduled for a few sessions with our student counselor to make sure he understands what kind of jokes are considered appropriate. Tsunayoshi-kun will have one day of afterschool detention."

Nana would have preferred Tsuna had no negative consequences for being bullied, because that was bullshit really, but he understood where she was coming from. Tsuna wasn't her son and she had to consider all students, even the shitty ones. Kensuke _had _been hurt from that fall.

"I'm fine with that," Nana nodded, accepting quickly before the eruption next to her could happen. "I'm sure Kensuke-kun was just repeating things he had heard from the adults around him. As long as he learns to form his own opinions and act on them appropriately then I have no problem trusting that this won't happen again."

Hina nodded, leaning back in her chair as everything was starting to be wrapped up. "Thank you for your understanding in this situation Sawada-san. If you have any questions or concerns about the consequences given today please talk to Hibari Natsuki-san. She has generously offered to be our student counselor for the next few years."

Oh _shit _. For real?!

Is this why Natsuki had been so secretive lately? Well, she was always secretive, but she had been giving him these little side-eyes for _weeks _now. The Yamamotos too. This totally explained everything. Aw man, Lavina was gonna be so upset that her 'surprise friend party' theory was wrong (not that any besides her had believed that would ever be a thing when it came to the Hibari family).

On the downside, there would be a huge Hibari-esque influence over the future generation of Namimori. The amount of pure chaos that could bring was horrifying to think about. On the plus side, the sight of all the blood draining from the Mochida couple's faces as their mouths clamped shut meant their kind of bullshit would be heavily cut down.

Nana would take the win.

Bowing to Hina he ducked out and closed the door swiftly. It would be best to leave before the pair got out.

Tsuna was curled up in his chair, soft puffs of breath escaping from where he had his face smushed into the arm of the chair. Nana smiled, brushing his hair out of his face before tapping his cheek.

"Hm?" he blinked up at him blearily. Nana knelt in front of him with his back turned and gestured for him to hop on.

"I'll take you home bud, but you've got to get on first okay?"

Tsuna nodded, his head swaying from side to side as he clumsily wrapped his arms around Nana's neck. Nana supported him and boosted him up before standing. Tsuna laid his head down and fell asleep within seconds.

"Have a good day," Nana nodded to the secretary as he walked past, eyes catching on the second chair against the wall next to the clinic. Kensuke was sitting there, eyes downcast with a stark white bandage around his head. "Goodbye Kensuke-kun."

His head shot up, looking first at him then the boy on his back. His eyes widened even further.

Nana smiled down at him. "I'm glad you were not hurt too badly. I know your parents don't like me very much, but I hope you and Tsuna can put this behind you and get along."

He really did. Kensuke was around ten-years-old. His parent's views had a huge sway over his actions and Nana could only hope he would be strong enough to form his own before they fully took root.

"You can always top by the Sushi Shop if you want," Nana offered when all he did was stare at them, mouth agape. He smiled brightly, hoping to make a good impression. If he could show him that his parents weren't always right it might help.

"W-we're not supposed to go there anymore," the boy muttered. He fiddled with his hands, eyes darting away.

Nana grinned even wider when he spotted the red tips of his ears. "Your parents aren't supposed to go there anymore," Nana corrected. "The Yamamotos are kind people. As long as you don't treat anyone badly they will treat you like a friend."

Oh, fuck. Maybe he messed that up. Kensuke looked closer to tears now. Damn it.

"A-anyways, make sure to rest up okay? Head wounds are serious and I know Tsuna would want you to feel better too. See you later Kensuke-kun."

And before he could scar a child any further Nana rushed out.

"_A few years ago you would have struggled to carry someone of Tsunayoshi's size for so long," _Snake hummed in the back of his head.

Nana beamed at the praise and flexed his arms a little. "Hell yeah, I worked hard for these muscles!" Oops, he spoke too loud. Tsuna shifted on his back but settled down again a few seconds later.

"_At least you're improving physically."_

"Fuck you Snake," Nana grumbled, turning down the street to go home. The sun was low in the sky and the breeze was cool. Nana was glad Lavina had forced him into his grey jacket before he left. "I'm trying my best."

"_Effort does not always equal results, but yes. You are stretching yourself rather far to make improvements."_

Manifesting Flames was hard. He could run it through objects pretty well by now but he had to be touching them. If he threw them or dropped them the effects would only last for a few seconds. Making them visible was even harder. Small sparks like flames would curl around his knuckles and that was about it. Snake had said a fully mastered Flame could enshroud the entire body like a blanket. All Nana had was a really shitty pair of hand warmers.

"_Do not forget about your session with Hibari Kyoya tomorrow."_

"Thanks mom," Nana rolled his eyes. "You know, you could just call him Kyoya. You don't have to say his whole name every single time."

"_You are also low on eggs."_

"Ah crap, you're right. I'll have to grab some in the morning. What should we have for dinner then?"

Snake rattled off several foreign dishes that needed at least three hours of prep time.

"Seriously? What even are any of those? I've never heard of them."

"_They are delicious. Take the time to enjoy them while you can."_

"You're being ominous again, and I don't think you actually meant to be this time," Nana huffed, blowing a loose strand of hair out of his face. He wanted to cut it, a braid down to his shoulder blades seemed too long, but Lavina had threatened to replace all of his shoes with grossly colored crocs in he tried.

"_I did not. I simply meant it would be wise to spend the rest of today at home."_

Nana blinked. If his hands would free he would place one over his heart. "Snake. Are you worried about Tsuna? Awww, I knew he would worm his way into your icy dead heart one day!"

Snake scoffed before falling silent. None of Nana's needling drew him back but that was okay. Nana knew the silence was totally admittance.

"I'll try the spinach one," he decided, saying it out loud for the benefit of the voice in his head (that sounded so weird).

Tsuna mumbled against his neck, burrowing further into the warmth of his jacket. Nana frowned back at him. How much had he hidden? Nana had gotten so used to him telling them _everything _that the thought of him hiding something, something that was hurting him, had never even occurred to him. Nana had to find a way to get through to him. To get him to open up about that kind of stuff; to find help.

Nana groaned, an anxious energy making them walk faster.

Why did parenting have to be so hard?

-00-

When Tsuna was ten he was still called Dame-Tsuna by a lot of people. It was just that kind of name that stuck.

Kensuke didn't call him that. Kensuke didn't call him anything. For a whole year they went back to not talking. Kensuke avoided him on the playground and Tsuna was happy to let him. Eventually, all the teasing and mocking laughter died away without its ringleader to keep it going. Tsuna could handle the name, so long as that was the only thing he had to deal with. It helped that Takeshi and Kyoko joined him for recess more often. They still had their games and clubs they would do but a few days a week they would keep him company on the swings. On the other days he sat and read next to Kyoya. Tsuna was pretty sure Kyoya's grade wasn't supposed to be outside, seeing as how he was the only one of his class ever out there, but he didn't want to ask about it. It might make Kyoya stop coming outside and Tsuna liked reading next to him. He was really quiet when he wasn't angry at him for 'crowding' and he would sometimes help if Tsuna got stuck on a word.

Papa still let him walk to school on his own. Tsuna had been really happy about that, but he had to tell the truth from then on for Papa to agree. Tsuna had almost refused, not wanting to hurt him.

"Tsu-kun," Nana had bent down in front of him, eyes narrowed and he mouth curled down. "Family helps each other. Always. Would you like it if I hid everything from you and kept all my bad feelings inside?"

Tsuna remembered hurting his neck from how fast he had shaken his head. He cried a lot that day.

"Exactly. And I'm letting you know now that there are some things I don't tell you. Big things that you might be mad at me for hiding," Papa had told him, hand rising to absentmindedly massage his shoulder. "I want to tell you about them because you deserve to know. Because I'm your family and I know you want to help me. I can't tell you until you are older though. There are things that only adult brains can understand. Once you have learned more things I will tell you okay? You have to tell me the truth too, so if you tell me when you need help then I will tell you the things that make me sad when you are older. Pinky promise."

Sometimes Tsuna would wrap his pinky fingers together to remind himself. He didn't always want to tell Mama the truth and he needed to remind himself why he should. It always made him feel bad, seeing Mama worry, but it also made him feel really good when they found a way to work through the problem. When Mama gave him a new way to think about things.

Which was why, when Tsuna walked into the Sushi Shop for Takeshi's birthday party and he saw Kensuke sitting awkwardly in the very far corner of the room he grabbed his own kid's plate and went to sit by him.

It took all the courage in his heart to say hello. He had been shaking so bad that his rice spilled a bit and his smile must have looked really weird but Kensuke said hi back. They didn't say much after that, Kensuke was really quite the whole party even when Takeshi pulled him into the games and Tsuna had already used up his courage for the day but after that things got better. They still never really talked but Kensuke would wave at him sometimes when they passed each other in the hallway. Tsuna always waved back, smile getting bigger each time it happened. Sometimes he thought he messed up because Kensuke would snatch his hand out of the air like it had been burned. That might have just been because he had a cold though, his cheeks were always really red when that happened.

When Tsuna turned twelve there was a present in his mailbox without a name saying who it was from. It was wrapped really bad, with so much tape Mama had to help him cut it open. There were two little lion shaped charms he could put on his backpack and Tsuna loved them immediately. He gave one to Papa and kept the other one so that they could match.

The next day when he went to school and he waved at Kensuke near the main gates the other boy zeroed in on the charm swaying from his backpack.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" he shouted before running into the school. Kyoya had turned the corner when he shouted and chased after him for screaming so early in the morning.

Tsuna felt his whole heart smile. "Thank you!"

It didn't even matter that he had to run from Kyo-kun too. Mama had been right after all.

Things always got better.

**-00-**

**Next chapter is the start of the main story! Which means our favorite hitman can finally make his first appearance!**


	9. Hope Reborn

**Lavina lives by the beat of her own drum.**  
**Nana grows as a person, a parent, a fighter, and a dolphin.**  
**Snake reads books sometimes.**  
**Hibari.**  
**Reborn is a baby.**

**-00-**

Hope Reborn

**-00-**

Nana ran towards her house, both fists raised in the air for victory.

"I won!"

"_I'll bite you to __**death**_!"

Okay, so tripping Kyoya into the river wasn't the _nicest _thing to do, but goddamnit if they had to go over the best muscles to use when strangling a fully grown, heavily muscled man (don't ask, his parents were literally insane) one more time she might actually lose her mind. It would never have come to this if Kyoya hadn't found that damn loophole. He had to choose something from the list, but Nana had never made a rule saying he couldn't pick the same thing more than once.

Her mistake.

One bullet fast tonfa skimmed her hip. Nana shrieked and sped up her pace. The best thing about Kyoya jumping what could be considered five levels in a single day all the damn time while Nana was stuck struggling to level once a week was that she could use the struggle to relate to Tsuna more. Her son took one look at how hard she was working against odds so unfairly stacked against her it was like she was going up against the devil himself armed only with a plastic spork and felt motivated to do his level best at school too.

The worst thing about it was she needed to come up with increasingly sneaky ways to beat the now sixteen-year-old war machine.

Luckily, during the times her plans actually worked and sent Kyoya into a seething rage, Nana had Lavina. Beautiful, kind, probably psychic Lavina.

Case in point, as Nana was running for her life Lavina was opening the front door to get the mail. She left it wide open, creating a perfect opening for Nana to escape.

"Yes!" Nana cheered, turning just enough to stick her tongue out at the boy chasing her. Not her most mature moment, no, but totally worth it. Kyoya looked like he had sucked on a lemon. An angry, murderous lemon.

Lavina was at the door now, turning to look at them with a fond smile. "Good morning Nana, good morning Kyoya-kun!"

Nana called back happily, so glad to have a friend like her. She hadn't actually thought through the whole escape plan part (the river had been a bit of improv) so it was sweet that she might actually be able to avoid death that day. All she had to do was-

Lavina closed the door.

"You _bitch_!" Nana screamed with crystal clear fear in her voice as she slammed into the wood. "I take back all the nice things I ever said about you! You are a horrible, horrible- AHHH!"

Lavina giggled behind her hand on the other side of the doorway.

Tsuna's head popped around the top of the stairs with his toothbrush sticking out of his mouth. The mountain of bed hair on his head made Lavina laugh harder. "Was that Mom?"

There was another loud scream, followed by what sounded suspiciously like a very low, very smug chuckle. Tsuna frowned, seemed to debate with himself, before disappearing back into the bathroom.

Lavina wiped a little tear for the corner of her eyes. Using the banister to support herself she walked towards the kitchen. It was still hard to stand for any long period of time but actually being able to walk around in the morning was such a wonderful feeling. Ignoring the tortured sounds outside with the ease of years of practice she carefully lowered herself into the closest chair of the dining room table and began to sort through the mail.

Three of the letters were for Nana. Two were taxes but the last one didn't have any postal mark or return address. Lavina flipped it over a few times before setting it aside. She'd make Nana open it when she was in the room. The last time they had gotten one of those there had been an astonishing amount of money paired with a tiny thank you note and a child's drawing of a hospital room with four smiling children. Nana had been upset about the money ("What the actual hell did they do to earn this much?) but ecstatic with the note. They had never told her who it was from or why they had gotten it ("I swore an oath Lavina, and as much as I want to believe they don't have the ability to immediately know when I break it I totally think one of them might actually be a prophet."). The only way to gather clues was to read the notes as they came, few and far between though they may be.

One of the letters was for Tsuna from Hayato. She loved that the two got along so well but honestly, Hayato wrote to Tsuna more than he did to her! She wanted to hear all about his day too!

Pouting a bit Lavina placed that on in a different pile and looked over the last two in her hands.

"Oh!" she blinked. They were both for her. One from Hayato and one from Salvi. It was probably another love letter…

Leaning back to make sure the front door was in fact locked and Nana would have to do some serious acrobatics to get it open she giddily opened the letter from Salvi.

Scanning over the beautiful cursive Italian she felt her cheeks heat up.

"What's that?"

"Nothing!" Lavina shrieked, slapping the letter face down as Tsuna walked in.

Tsuna paused, one eyebrow raised. Idly messing with his tie his eyes flickered down to the letter. "Is that from Gokudera-san?"

"Shh!" Lavina motioned for him to be quieter, glancing frantically towards the door. If Nana heard about the letter they would stop at nothing to figure out what it said.

Tsuna laughed. Tugging the knot in place he let his tie fall flat against his chest as he moved towards the toaster. "I'll keep it a secret Aunt Lavina but you know Mom will find it anyway."

Lavina sighed. "Yes, I know. For now though, what would you like for breakfast Tsuna-chan?"

Twitching at the 'chan' added to his name (Lavina couldn't help it, he was so cute!) he looked in the fridge. "Pancakes?"

"We had those on Monday," she reminded him.

He deflated a bit. "Just toast is fine then."

Lavina huffed. Bracing herself on the table she stood slowly. Tsuna rushed over to help her, one hand lifting her elbow while the other rested on her back. Lavina took the chance to snag his wrist in a surprisingly strong grip.

"You need to eat more than a slice of bread each morning Tsuna-chan, how else are you going to keep up your energy for school?"

Tugging him over to the stove she bullied him into helping make omelets.

When Nana dragged herself in like a worm they were just setting everything on the table.

"Lavina, _why-_," she looked up where the silverette was happily puttering about, then around the room. Jumping to their feet the pointed an accusing finger at her. "Where is your wheelchair?"

Lavina blinked, looking around as though for the first time. Lifting a hand to her cheek she pointedly looked away. "A lala~"

"Don't you 'a lala' me," she narrowed her eyes, ducking down the hall in search of the missing wheelchair. Her voice echoed easily through the hallway. "You're supposed to always have it in the same room as you just in case! What if you fell?!"

Lavina happily ignored her and chose to instead sit with Tsuna and enjoy their meal.

The rest of the morning was as peaceful as it could get with Lavina getting ready for her job at the Sushi shop (ever since they were gifted that beautiful piano they hired her on to come play throughout the day and she loved it), Nana 'subtly' following after her to make sure she was okay, and Tsuna tripping his way through the rest of his morning routine. Both Lavina and Nana had tried to fix his skewed tie but three seconds after twisting and tugging at it the thing would hop right back to being off kilter and lopsided.

"Text me later if you have time to run by the store," Nana tried one last futile time with the tie as Tsuna finished tapping his shoe on the ground to adjust its grip on his foot. "If you want to hang out with Takeshi-kun instead that's fine but I need to know by one if you can't make it."

"Okay Mom," Tsuna's voice was long-suffering but he allowed himself to be manhandled to the door.

"Have a good day at school," she hugged him quickly, once again marveling at how tall he was getting. Fourteen-years-old and he was only a handful of inches shorter. Clearly, he would not be taking after her in the height department.

"Mooom," he groaned a bit, shuffling in embarrassment. It didn't stop him from hugging her back though and she beamed.

"I know, I know," she placated, stepping back. "Tell Kyoya he isn't invited to dinner tonight."

Tsuna gave a deadpan look to the door. He would most certainly _not _be bringing that up. Telling Kyo-kun not to do something was like asking a ravenous bear into your home wearing a sign that said 'please eat me'. Lavina was making her infamous steaks tonight; nothing was keeping Kyo-kun from that meal.

"Sure thing Mom," he said instead, eyes flicking away tellingly.

Nana didn't call him out on it. It had been worth a shot.

As Tsuna left (handing the impatiently waiting Hibari a small bag of snacks as a bribery tactic to start the morning slow) Nana went back to the kitchen to find Lavina flicking through the mail once more. Snagging her near-empty cup off the table she refilled it with tea and made another cup of coffee for herself before settling down across from the woman.

"Taxes," Lavina handed over two of the letters. "And Tsuna-chan got another letter from Hayato. I got one too this time, but I was just thinking about he seems far more interested in talking to Tsuna-chan then he does his own mother."

"He still doesn't know you're his mother," Nana pointed out blandly, scowling over the forms. She assumed Hayato didn't know, but there was a chance he had already put two-and-two together. If he had, he hadn't mentioned anything.

"That's beside the point," Lavina waved the comment away airly. "Even if he doesn't _know _know he still sends me a gift every Mother's Day!"

"If that's the case what's the harm in telling him?" Nana asked for what had the be the thousandth time.

"Oh no," Lavina suddenly looked away, hands clasped together nervously. "I don't think that's a very good idea. It's been so long now, what would he think of me lying to him all this time? He would be so disappointed, and what if that really hurt him? I can't do that to him."

Arguing against her for this kind of thing was futile. Nana had tried. Numerous times. For years.

She assumed that, at some point, Hayato would use that big brain of his to figure it out, confront Lavina on his own, and the two would hash it out then. With how much the two adored each other she was sure that however strained it might become they would be able to work through it.

"-and in the end, I think that's for the best," Lavina nodded herself. "Don't you?"

"Sure," Nana drolled, flicking to the next page of her expense sheet.

"I can tell you weren't listening, but that's okay," she accepted calmly. "More importantly I was wondering what you thought of this."

Nana set the tax information to the side glancing down at the paper held in place by long fingers. She tilted her head as she read it upside down.

"A home tutor?" Nana frowned, tapping her fingers along the edges of her cup. "For Tsuna?"

"Yes, exactly!" Lavina chattered away, pushing the flyer across the table for her to look at. "Salvi sent it to me after I mentioned how busy you and I have gotten lately. With your work with Kyoya, and whatever else you've been doing when you sneak out," Nana looked away from the pointed look, "and my job at the Sushi Shop as well as the doctor appointments neither of us really have time to help Tsuna-chan with his studies as much as he needs it. This way he still gets the help he needs and you don't have to run yourself ragged trying to look after everyone."

"I'm fi-"

"You fell asleep in your soup last night," Lavina shot back like a whip, eyes closing delicately as she took a sip of her tea.

Nana closed her mouth. Pursing her lips she found she didn't have an argument for that one.

"Okay," she conceded. Hooking her feet behind the legs of her chair she hunched over with a pout. "So maybe I've been a little tired lately. That doesn't mean we need to bring in some random person to our home. What if they don't get along with Tsuna? Or what if he thinks we're abandoning him because we don't have time anymore?"

Lavina very nearly rolled her eyes (out of fondness of course) at her friend's mumbles. "If they don't get along then we find someone new. And I'm pretty sure Tsuna-chan will actually feel relieved to know you aren't forcing yourself to stay awake to help him with math. You know he feels bad about asking either of us for help."

"He shouldn't feel bad about something like that," Nana grumped, folding over further until her face was nearly pressed to the table.

"No," Lavina agreed, "but he does. It might actually help even more if the person teaching him is a third party. Someone who is actually paid to help him as a job rather than someone who he believes is wasting their time."

"He's not a waste of time," Nana whined, legs releasing the chair to brush lightly across the floor.

"Of course not," she flicked her hair back over her shoulder, voice dropping. "But he feels like he is. Emotions aren't rational enough to get rid of that feeling, especially at his age. The longer he starts to feel like a burden the stronger he will believe he actually is one."

Nana peeked up at the softened, saddened tone in her voice. Lavina wasn't looking at her anymore, eyes riveted on the wheelchair tucked against the wall.

"...It's very hard to feel like you are falling backward all the time," she murmured, hand rising to brush over the scars hidden beneath her shirt. "That you are bringing others down with you. People you care about. Perhaps now is the time to start pushing Tsuna-chan to be a bit more independent. Self-reliant. Being able to take care of yourself is, well," she smiled softly, eyes turned up at the corners as her expression warmed, "it's not a bad feeling."

Nana's teeth clenched on the torrent of emotion traveling through her eyes and throat straight to her heart. "I-" she scraped at the rim of the cup still grasped firmly between her hands, eyes flitting away. "I don't want him to be independent."

It was said in a whisper, like a confession of guilt.

She couldn't look Lavina in the eye. It was a terrible thing to think, and she always felt it in the back of her mind. Beneath the immense pride and love for Tsuna's accomplishments was the fear of him growing up. The knowledge that he would be an amazing adult, but that as an adult he wouldn't need them anymore. Every time he showed signs of growth Nana wanted to simultaneously cheer him on and pull him back to the safety of their arms.

Thin, elegant fingers covered her own, adding to the heat of the cup seeping into her skin.

Nana hesitated before looking up.

The morning sun was streaming in through the window, soft and light. It made the dust particles twirling through the air illuminate the silver glow of Lavina's hair even more. Unlike the disappointed expression Nana had been expecting (even the thought of that look being directed at her hurt like a knife) her eyes were crinkled along the edges to match the warm curl of her lips.

"But you will support him anyway."

It was spoken as a fact, as though there were no other way things could be. The amount of faith and trust Lavina had in her was astonishing and, just like every time before, it drew tears to her eyes.

"...I love you Lavina."

The taller woman patted her hand once more with a happy little hum. "I love you too."

Nana lifted herself up. Turning her head to look out the window, eyes following the trails of dust as they danced around, she sipped at her own cup of coffee. Lavina reached out and grabbed the newspaper at the end of the table. Flipping it open to the cartoons she left Nana to think about things.

"Do you have someone in mind?" Nana asked several moments later.

Lavina nodded. Still scanning over the page she pushed the little flyer further across the table. Nana picked it up between her thumb and forefinger like it was diseased.

"Salvi told me that if we were interested we should call this number and ask for Reborn."

Nana was glad she hadn't looked up. Her own face had pulled back in horrified disgust the moment she heard the name. This was all suspiciously starting to sound like a trap. 'Reborn'? Really? She thought Snake had just been courteous by not interrupting her talk with Lavina. Now his silence was taking on a whole different meaning.

"Snake, you little shit," she grunted, flicking the flyer onto the table.

Lavina ignored the harsh language, far too used to her best friend randomly arguing with her imaginary friend. She had thought it was weird the first few times it happened when they were children but she had long since gotten used to it. At this point, she had a strong belief that this 'Snake' person was actually a ghost with strong ties to her friend that stopped him from passing on for some reason and if Nana wanted to defend their own sanity by stalwartly believing they were imaginary then Lavina saw no harm in letting them. Not everyone could handle knowledge of the supernatural calmly after all.

"You totally knew about this," Nana continued to argue on the other side of the table.

"_I had no part in this_."

He sounded smug.

"But you knew about it," Nana scowled. Crossing her arms she leaned back in her chair.

"_Reborn is a popular choice for infuencing change in others. If Gokudera Salvi is going to reccomend the best then there was no doubt who he would mention."_

"Influencing change?" she scrunched up her nose. "The hell kind of phrasing is that? I need a tutor, not a life coach."

"_Is that not what teachers are?"_

"Ugh," Nana groaned. "Fine. Whatever. You've steered me to weird ass places but you've never actually steered me wrong so I'll-" oh god, it was so hard to say, "I'll _trust you."_

"_Nana," _he sounded genuinly touched.

"Shut up," she sighed without any real heat. "Consider this your reward for going a whole week without making any vague, ominous sounding remarks about the future."

"_Ah," _he sounded introspective. "_You are correct. I've been lax."_

"Wait, you've actually been aiming for that?" Nana gapped. "You son of a bitch, do you know how often you've freaked me out?"

"_I've helped you prepare for the future," _he sniffed snootily.

"You've given me anxiety is what you've done," she sniped back. "Can't you go one day without being an ass?"

"_You mentioned just a moment ago that it has been an entire week-"_

"Being ominous and being a dick are two different things!"

"_You've always used the two terms so synominously that I had assumed you believed they meant the same thing."_

Nana made an irritated popping sound with her lips, shaking her head. "I'm muting you for the rest of the day you ass."

"_You can not 'mute' me."_

No, she couldn't, but she had gotten really good at pretending she could.

"Okay," Nana nodded strongly, pushing the flyer back across the table. "Okay, we can give it a shot. Would you mind setting things up Lavina? I don't have a lot of experience with home tutors and stuff."

Lavina nodded and folded the newspaper back up so she could focus on the flyer. She had more knowledge on what to do and look for thanks to Hayato. Even if she wasn't there for everything she knew all about his teachers and how they were hired. Salvi had been very adamant about her being involved, which she was grateful for.

"Of course Nana. I have to get going soon but I can call over my lunch break."

"Cool," she breathed, a tension lifting off her shoulders. Until the tutor actually showed up she could pretend it wasn't happening. "Mind if I walk with you?"

"Of course not."

Lavina noticed very quickly when Nana went over to the wheelchair but didn't actually push it closer to her. Instead, she rolled it over to the door, waiting for her to catch up. Her heart warmed when Nana caught her eye, flushed a bit, then looked away. She really did love it here.

-00-

_"Very good,"_ Snake commended as she let her Flames fade away. _"Your focus has grown. When using your Flames both offensively and defensively you should be able to cover your arms and the majority of your torso. If you focus purely on defense you can protect your entire body but spreading them out so thinly leaves them more vulnerable against someone with a higher power level than you. This is a problem that can be solved by increasing the intensity of your flames so continuing your training as you have been should be ample enough to continue forward."_

"Cool," Nana huffed, hunching over with her hands on her knees. She'd been able to hold it for an hour this time. Sweet.

The weird thing about using Lightning Flames to protect yourself was how they actually protected you. The first time Snake had talked about it Nana had assumed it was like a force field bubble or something where as long as the Flames were around her she could reflect harm and stuff.

Haha, yeah. No.

She'd learned all about the two attributes of her Flames, hardening and strengthening. Strengthening she used when she was putting it into objects like the time she had been kidnapped. She could kind of use it on herself to make her physical strength higher but it drained her a lot so she preferred using outside objects and just running the Flames through them like a conduit. She hadn't quite grasped how _badass_ that was until one day when she had been traveling in England with Kyoya a few years back while Lavina watched over Tsuna. He'd been out checking the perimeter of the hotel (the paranoia was strong in their family) so she'd been alone in the hotel room. Room service had brought some food by and she was folding the little napkins this way and that in boredom. The neighbors had been quiet for the most part but they dropped something when she had been experimentally running her Flames through the napkin to practice. The loud noise startled her into ripping it, except the paper hadn't ripped. While her Flames were going through it, it had practically been impossible to tear. Out of curiosity she had tried adding the hardening attribute and tossed it to the side.

It had flown through the air rapidly before sinking into the wall like it was made of butter. She could totally turn paper into knives, it was _awesome_. It worked on other stuff too, but the paper thing was by far her favorite application. Beating someone up with a sticky note would be _so _satisfactory.

The hardening part of her Flames is what she mostly used for minor defense. At first she just tried her clothes and stuff. Since it could turn slivers of paper into veritable blades of metal she figured using it on her clothes would create armor. That was totally true. It also made it really hard to move. Imagine your clothes suddenly being impossible to bend. They are stiff and unbreakable. There was a reason metalworkers created armor joints friends and Nana had gotten a very personal look into that thought proccess. So yeah, if she used it on her clothes she needed to be really careful. Either reduce the amount of protection they offered or wear clothes that didn't cover any of her joints (which was, like, shorts and a tank top). Not a lot of options there that made for a good defense so she tried it on something a little more readily accessible.

Snake had told her it was a bad idea, so of course Nana tried hardening their skin.

Skipping over the traumatizing frozen solid pain moments it had turned out pretty okay. She couldn't do it to all of her skin at once because, once again, joints were a thing that needed to move, but as her control grew she was able to quickly harden specific places that were going to be hit (very useful when facing Kyoya).

All of these things made her pretty confident in her fighting abilities, which in turn helped her when researching various members of the Italian Mafia.

Ever since Iemitsu, Nana had been horrified of the possibility of people coming after them. That fear only grew the more she learned about the people he worked for. The Vongola was huge, and it spanned _generations_. Their enemies were almost innumerable and the more she dug the more she feared. Iemitsu was the head of a huge part of the Vongola. He was, technically, the second-in-comman during times of crisis. That was... big. And dangerous.

The Estraneo Family (and now that she knew more about them she wished she had been far more aggressive when escaping) had found her easily thanks to one small letter. She had sent it normally, instead of the usual weird ways Iemitsu always encouraged her to use (a lot of security measures really helped her paranoia about his job back then) and that one petty mistake had both her and Kyoya captured within moments. The Estraneo Family was gone now (and she had a horrible inkling as to who may have done _that_) so no one else should have known about them but a simple slip up is all it would take. She owed Kouske big time for helping her research everything. What she lacked in technological understanding he made up for in spades. The sheer amount networks he could get into was... alarming. But really, really cool.

Since learning what could one day try to come after her loved ones Nana upped her training every day. Training wasn't just about freeing Tsuna. It was about protecting him and the rest of their family. She needed to be as strong as she possibly could in case the worst happened, and she _needed _to get that seal broken. Nana didn't want Tsuna fighting, but she absolutely wanted him to know how to defend himself if it came down to it. With his Flames locked away, his physical abilities were always slow to develop and she couldn't push him much further without letting him know that something was wrong. He shouldn't have to deal with that kind of shit so young but she was running out of options.

"Am I any closer?" Nana breathed slowly to help regulate her pulse.

_"...No."_

She hated his honesty some times.

"How much longer?"

_"If you continue to grow at the same rate, without the aid of any Flame born technology, then... years. At the very least."_

"Fuck!" Nana ran her hands through her hair, flopping down to sit on the grass. "It will take years for him learn how to use them, let alone readjust to not having them sealed in the first place! How old will he be when he can finally get everything back? _When_ will he feel right in his own body Snake? When will he feel like he _belongs?!"_

Years- _Years_ of Tsuna telling her that the world looked funny; like it was tilted wrong on its axis. Of him smiling blankly on the side after getting pushed to the sides during sporting events because he just couldn't keep up. Night after night of strenuous studying because the words and numbers didn't fit right and even though he _knew_ something wasn't quite right his stunted comprehension kept him from knowing why and that just added more and more stress to his already pressured mind. It was a miracle he hadn't just given up on trying at this point. Nana honestly thought he almost had a few times. Fourteen-years-old and ready to throw in the towel because nothing was working, when Nana knew exactly what was causing the problem and she could do _nothing _about it. Before he had been born she had known something like this was a possibility. That kids were born that would always have to struggle more than others just to progress. She had known that, _accepted_ that, and promised to be there for him regardless of what he could or could not do because he was her baby and he deserved all the love she had to give. As long as he was truly happy, that was all that mattered.

But this was different. This was something _caused_ by someone she had trusted above all others. Something that was broken by another but could be fixed if only she were not too weak to even be able to try. Everyone else that had Flames, the very few names she could find, were part of the Vongola or connected to them in some way. The very same people that created this problem were the only other means she had to fix it and _goddamnit it wasn't fair! _Tsuna tried so hard but she saw how he would come home after a long day with his shoulders hunched and eyes empty. How he would say good-bye to his friends and watch them enviously as they left to do something amazing while he went home to study so he didn't flunk out like he did every day. How sometimes getting out of bed was his greatest trial and Nana had to fight back the horrified lump of fear in her throat to encourage him to start his morning until he painstakingly started to move.

"Snake," she choked, curling up and burying her head into her knees. "What do I _do?"_

_"Exactly what you have been doing,"_ Snake informed her, voice uncharacteristically soft. _"You seem to have forgotten again. Your selective hearing for the things I tell you is the biggest cause for most of your troubles."_

Nana sniffed grossly.

_"Why did I bring you here?"_

"Cause your an asshole," she croaked.

Snake sighed, his eye roll clear in his voice. _"No. Sawada Tsunayoshi is going to save the world one day, and you are here to make sure he survives and is cared for until then."_

Nana coughed a bit, thinking about it. "That's... That's still going to happen? Iemitsu didn't fuck that up?"

_"No,"_ Snake replied easily. _"If I thought he was going to interfere in a way that jeopardized that I would have intervened."_

"So you _do _have a physical body?" Nana pressed, eyes peering over her arms at the dark trees around her.

_"Nana."_

"Alright, sorry," she laughed a bit at his dry tone. "I'll get that out of you another day. Tsuna's really going to save the world?"

_"Yes."_

"And he'll be okay, right? He'll save the world and be okay afterward."

_"He will survive, yes."_

"I don't like the sound of that part," Nana shifted, still curled up in a ball to ward off the night chill now that her adrenaline was dropping. "Surviving and being okay can be two different things."

_"Just like every human being he will struggle and he will face pain. He does not have to be a savior to experience that." _He sighed when Nana ducked away again. _"He will be happy. He will be surrounded by people he loves who love him in return. He will be strong."_

"...Okay," Nana let a few more tears drop.

_"Why are you crying again? That was intended to be taken as a good thing."_

"It _was_, jeez," Nana scrubbed at her face. "Those were happy tears. Despite your ability to piss me off by existing you're... surprisingly good at this comforting thing. Or, at least, you're better than you were."

_"I have been reading books to help with that."_

Nana snorted. "What, like self-help books?"

_"Yes."_

"Awww, Snake," Nana cooed, the cold doing nothing against the sudden bit of warmth she felt. "You read books about how to not be an asshole... for _me?_"

_"I never said it was for you."_

"You don't have to buddy, I know."

_"You are severely overestimating yourself."_

"Say what you want," Nana laughed, pushing herself to her feet. "I know you've got a heart in there somewhere. Now that you've shown it, there's no going back pal. I'll always know that deep down you care."

Snake didn't answer her for the rest of the night but that was okay. Her hope had been reignited.

-00-

**One week later**

"Oh. My God. Kyoya," Nana flipped away, barely avoiding the high kick. "I have to _go. _I'm already late!"

"The match has not been decided yet."

Yeah, well, if he had let Nana throw away the match three hours ago then it would have been! Damn Hibaris and their pride. Natsuki and Kouske weren't even trying to help! They were just sitting over on their deck, sipping their tea and watching them like some kind of sports entertainment show!

When Nana had first brought up the idea of creating handicaps it had been with the full intention of giving himself an edge against the inhuman teen. A game of, what was in essence, capture the flag (the flag being a ribbon tied up in their hair) was made far more interesting by the fact that their hands were tied behind their backs and they were only allowed to use their feet and the environment around them. Nana had this game in mind for awhile, but he had waited to bring it up until his son and Takeshi had been by to go swimming. The random pool toys lying around were the only way he would be winning this but god _damn _Kyoya did not know how to stay still!

"Do not let your frustration get the better of you," Natsuki called to her son encouragingly. Kouske drained what had to be his fifth cup of coffee and moved to get yet another while nodding along to his wife's words. It still freaked Nana out how quickly he could type (without error apparently) while staring them down without so much as a glance at the screen.

"Natsuki!" Nana bemoaned. Using his anger against him was, like, the _one _sure fire way Nana had to win any of these!

Maybe, if he was really careful, he could pretend to lose well enough that Kyoya believed him.

"_You are a terrible actor. If you pretend to lose it will only infuriate him more."_

"You know, it's times like this where you saying you can't read my mind sounds like complete bullshit," Nana hissed under his breath as he tucked and rolled behind one of the trees lining the outside area of the pool. He was running out of tools to use. Kyoya had already kicked the pool noodles to literal pieces and the water guns were useless for their purpose. Nana had just started using them as projectiles themselves but there was only one left way over by the deck.

"_I can not read your mind, you are just very predictable."_

"Predictable my ass," Nana muttered before rushing towards the deck.

Kyoya, having easily predicted the movement, intercepted midway with a kick so strong the air actually whistled around his leg.

Nana, having known Kyoya for far too long _not_ to know he would totally kill strike them if given the chance, flung himself up and over the teen before making a mad dash straight past the water gun and onto the deck itself.

Kyoya darted after him, growling when he moved so that Kouske was between them. The man blinked once, slowly, before lifting his gaze to the sky. Whether he was praying for something or just watching the clouds roll by Nana didn't care. So long as they didn't mess with his work he wouldn't move to interfere.

Kyoya, having a super weird love for trying to beat the shit out of his dad, had long since realized it was a mistake to do so when the laptop was out. Thus, they were at a stand off.

"You are taking a cowards way out," he glared, eyes sharpened like knife points.

"I'm surprised you thought I wouldn't," Nana shifted to the left when he stepped forwards, constantly shifting to keep the older Hibari between them. Natsuki, on the other side of the table, pulled out her phone.

The super fancy, totally unnecessarily large clock in their dining room chimed out six times.

Nana grimaced. "Kyoya, seriously. I have to go. Tsu-kun's tutor is coming today and I want to actually meet them before they leave for the day."

"Then fight."

"I have been fighting!" Nana would have thrown his hands up in the air if they weren't anchored behind his back (he would never ask, nor think about why Natsuki had various coils of rope of the perfect length to tie up people's hands in their garage). "If you just let me forfeit then it's your win! Take the win!"

Kyoya side stepped rapidly to the right, making Nana almost trip over his feet to keep the only blockade of safety he had left.

There was a long, put upon sigh in the back of his head.

"_Only in the interest that I do not have to watch this any longer, it would be best to remember that Tsunayoshi left the diving pieces they could not find at the bottom of the pool."_

Nana blinked.

Oh. _Oh~_

"Kyoya," Nana straightened, voice stern. The boy paused, one eyebrow raised. "I told Tsuna about fruit stall incident."

And then, with the very real fear for his life, Nana bolted for the pool. Just as he had hoped, Kyoya had been frozen by the sudden revelation giving him three extra precious seconds to reach the water before what could be considered the physical incarnation of the guillotine flew after him.

Let this be a lesson. Swimming with your arms tied is really, _really _difficult. You can propel yourself, sure, but you have practically nothing in the way of steering. The only way you could bypass arm motions is by having insanely precise body control and leg strength.

Not to brag, but Nana's legs were killer.

Kyoya in all that he was, was a killer. He was cutting through the water like a natural born shark and Nana was not about that shit.

Thankfully, the world took pity on Nana (as it _should _with all the crap he has to put up with, honestly) and a colorful little piece of rounded plastic was resting prettily on the bottom of the pool right next to where he had dived in. Pinching it between his toes was unnecessarily difficult, but he managed to grasp it decently right before Kyoya's looming face appeared next to them like a horror movie monster.

Nana shrieked, bubbles exploding out of his mouth and blocking both of their views for a moment. Focusing a bit of his Flames into the plastic Nana twisted around and shot it towards the young boy. It cut through the water like scissors through paper but Kyoya ignored it, choosing instead to press the attack.

Nana grinned, wide and vicious, when he kicked them to the side. The kick was hard enough to send them up and out of the pool.

The ribbon that had been cut from Kyoya's hair thanks to the hardened plastic was held carefully between his toes.

"Ha!" Nana cheered, shivering a bit when the dark mess of hair rose from the water. It was like the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Eesh. "There, battle over!"

Kyoya was not stopping.

"Wha- hey!" Nana ducked, scrambling away. "Come on Kyoya, I was lying! I didn't actually tell Tsuna what happened, I swear!"

"Send that to me," Kouske told his wife, finally turning his attention to the screen in front of him as the two began sparring again.

"Of course," she nodded, following the pair with her phone. The day was always interesting when Nana came to visit.

-00-

Nana had seen a lot of shit. Living with a disembodied voice that apparently knew the future as well as having even minor ties to the Italian Mafia you were bound to see and hear things that were a little out of the ordinary.

When he had finally gotten home (note to self, never bring up the fruit stand incident ever again. Ever) he had assumed the home tutor must have left. The sun had been long gone and it was a fruitless hope to want to meet the person on their first day. Lavina was a pretty good judge of character, so he was sure things had been fine, but he really didn't want to miss the first day of what might be a huge change in his son's life. Still, what was in the past was in the past and he would just have to wait until tomorrow. Instead, he slouched home, bemoaning his new aches and bruises but still feeling pretty jazzed about winning.

Walking through the doors with a tired "I'm home" he had expected to see Lavina and Tsuna eating dinner in the kitchen. Which they had been. Alongside Tsuna's new home tutor.

"...Lavina."

"Yes?"

"That's a baby."

"Don't be silly Nana, that's Reborn."

A baby wearing a suit with a matching fedora (was that a fucking _chameleon _looped around the brim?!) sipping espresso as it chilled out at her table and casually reading the newspaper was…

Okay, honestly, it was not the weirdest thing he had seen. It was pretty up there, sure, but it certainly wasn't in the top five. Didn't mean he was cool with it though.

"_Judging a book by its cover?" _Snake sounded far too amused.

"He's a _baby _," Nana emphasized once again because apparently he was the only one realizing this. Oh, no. Wait. Tsuna also seemed to understand where he was coming from. At least his son had the common sense to know this was weird.

"_You were once a baby too, were you not?"_

"Uh, yeah. Babies can't really… _do _much. In case you forgot. Even when I was a baby I was still just a little lump."

"_Not the second time around."_

The baby was looking at him now and geez, those were some pitch black eyes. Nana wanted to say they were cute (cause babies were always cute) but the feeling he was getting from them was a little… unnerving.

Wait. Was Snake trying to tell him that this kid was like him?

"Ciaossu."

Nana blinked. The kid was standing on the table now so that they were closer in height with his hand stuck out.

"My name is Reborn. I am the home tutor."

"Uh," Nana replied intelligently. Reaching out he shook the tiny hand in his own. "Sawada Nana. Nice to meet you?"

"Reborn doesn't have anywhere to stay," Lavina informed her chirpily, piling a new plate with food. "I told him I would ask you if he could live here for a while."

"No where to- but he's a baby!" Nana balked. How could a kid have nowhere to stay?! "Of course you can stay here, but what about your parents? Shouldn't they-"

"I do not have parents," Reborn spoke up loudly over Tsuna's sudden spluttering.

"Oh," Nana frowned. "I'm sorry if I brought up any bad memories Reborn-kun. Please, feel free to stay. You'll have to room with Tsu-kun but there should be plenty of space."

"Dad!" Tsuna cried, slamming his hands on the table. "You can't be serious! He's a _baby! _And he keeps telling me he's trying to turn me into a m-"

Nana did a double take when Tsuna suddenly cut off, falling from his chair like he'd been flung from it.

"A magnificent student," Reborn finished for him. "I appreciate your offer. I would like to stay."

"Tsuna…" Nana shook his head. "You called me dad?"

Nana had yet to inform anyone of his change and Tsuna never mistakenly called him anything other then what he told him he was. Not since he was younger. Before…

Tsuna sat up, face flushing. "S-sorry Mom, I meant-"

"No, Tsu-kun you were right. I just… I wondered how you knew?"

Now it was his son's turn to pause. Tsuna frowned, a crinkle forming between his eyebrows.

"I-" he shook his head. "I don't know. It just… felt like it?"

Lavina looked up now, concerned when Nana breathed in sharply.

"Nana, are you okay?"

"Oh," Nana breathed shakily, eyes flitting from the baby watching everything with interest to his son. " _Oh. _Did you-?"

"_Reborn is a popular choice for influencing change in others," _Snake repeated his statement from before, when they had first talked about hiring a home tutor. "_As much as you have progressed there is only so much you could do to weaken the seal on Tsunayoshi. Reborn will deal with that for you."_

"You-," Nana blinked rapidly against the sudden burning in his eyes. He could feel his hands shaking when he reached out to take Reborn's smaller ones. " _Thank you. _"

His voice was shaking, filled with so much gratitude it felt like he was going to choke on it. His heart stuttered in his chest like a hummingbird.

He had to close his eyes against the tears of pure, utter relief threatening to spill over like a waterfall. He'd worked for this relentlessly for years, pushing himself past limits he hadn't even known he _had _just for a chance to give his son back what had been so wrongfully taken from him.

A little part of him had always worried that he would never be strong enough. That Tsuna would forever live feeling like something was missing. A peice of him, just gone.

Then this child, this _person _, walks in and offers to do what he could not. Had already taken steps towards that goal if Tsuna's sudden awareness was anything to go by.

"Please, take care of my son."

"Dad!" Tsuna sounded almost betrayed, baffled by the strong show of emotion. Lavina smiled again, glad to see the tears were happy ones.

Nana's eyes fluttered back open, vision wavering, when tiny hands squeezed back.

"I will," Reborn promised, looking them over with a curious gaze. "That's my job."

-00-

**The next morning**

"What the- Tsuna!" Nana called up the stairs, newspaper rolled up in his hand. "Why on earth were you running around town in your boxers yesterday?! The news says you were shouting out about telling your friends something? Get dressed next time before you leave the house! You'll get sick!"

"Hiiieeeee!"

A loud thumping sound came from the floor above and Nana sighed, shaking his head.

"Honestly," he huffed, moving back towards the kitchen. "What am I going to do with you?"

**-00-**

**And thus, Reborn has managed to weasel his way in.**  
**I changed up Tsuna's first Dying Will moment since he's already friends with Kyoko and less prone to turning into a babbling ball of mush when he's around her. Instead, he was just going to tell all his friends how amazing they are and how badly he wants to be able to do things with them all the time instead of just during the school day. They both have clubs and other friends (like Hana) so they don't hang out nearly as much as they had when they were kids and he's feeling a bit lonely.**  
**Hope you liked it!**


	10. Chapter 1

**Tsuna questions his life. Several Times.**  
**Kyoya is unhappy.**  
**Nana is tired.**  
**Nana is pissed.**  
**Nana is ready to put up their fists.**

**Reborn is chill.**

**-00-**

Chapter 1

**-00-**

Tsuna shoveled a spoonful of cereal into his mouth, gaze never wavering from the infant seated across from him.

Reborn sipped at his coffee casually. "Thank you for the meal Lavina-san," Reborn nodded his head towards her when she placed a plate in front of him.

"Of course Reborn-chan!" Lavina smiled cheerfully. "And please, just Lavina is fine."

Tsuna squinted at them.

This wasn't right. None of this was right. It had been five days since Reborn arrived and no one, _no one_, had thought to question it. They didn't ask how a baby was qualified to be a home tutor, how he was able to move around so agilely, or how he was able to use a lizard turned gun to make people literally lose their minds!

And okay, so no one besides Tsuna had seen or experienced the gun part yet, but the first two were weird enough in their own right! There should be concerns!

He hadn't been able to talk to Dad about it yet either. Not without Reborn listening in. Ever since the kid had started living with them Nana's schedule had been even more erratic than usual. Tsuna only ever saw them briefly in the mornings and sometimes at night. Late at night. He had agreed to the home tutor things so Dad could get some well-deserved rest and now, not only was his tutor apparently a trained assassin but Dad was more exhausted than ever!

"Thanks Lavina!" Nana called, stuffing the toast waiting on the counter into their mouth before darting for the door as though to prove his point. "Have a good day at school Tsu-kun! Good morning Reborn-kun!"

And then he was gone.

Lavina sighed worriedly, shaking her head. Reborn glanced up from the newspaper splayed across the table before digging into his meal.

Tsuna frowned.

-00-

"Hey, Tsuna!" Takeshi waved, calling him over towards the gym.

Tsuna returned the gesture with a small smile. It was really nice of Takeshi to greet him every morning, even when he was always so busy. They never really got to hang out anymore because of baseball practice and the team bonding exercises the taller boy had to do all the time but he still always managed to make time to check in on Tsuna every day before school started.

"Good morning Takeshi."

"Morning!" Takeshi laughed, wiping the sweat off his brow from his morning run. "You got here pretty early huh?"

"Yeah…" Tsuna laughed weakly, vividly remembering the… explosive wake-up call he had gotten. It had been a miracle that nothing had been damaged. Even the smoke had disappeared abnormally fast when Nana had come to check what the loud thumping noise had been. "I just woke up early I guess."

"That's good!" Takeshi wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Waking up early is great for your body you know? Really helps get the day started."

Ah, Takeshi. Always the silver lining.

The first bell rang and Takeshi pulled away. "I'll see you later in class okay? I've gotta go wash up really fast."

"Be careful not to be late!" Tsuna called after him as he darted away. "Kyo-kun says he won't accept any excuses anymore!"

Not that he had ever accepted excuses before, but the warning made it seem like he had been going easy on them.

Tsuna shook his head when Takeshi only laughed.

Well, at least one of them should be on time. He managed a near perfect attendance record, which was probably one of the only reasons Kyoya never chased him to school anymore. So long as he got his weekly dose of snacks (Tsuna wondered if his parents knew how much sweets he ate, really) then he was always pretty mild in his threats towards him.

"You're going to be late baby Omnivore."

Speak of the devil.

"M-morining Kyo-kun," Tsuna stuttered a bit, not sure about the prefect's mood of the day.

Kyoya sniffed, already turning to walk away. A pretty good mood then.

"You have close allies already. That's good. Twenty points."

Tsuna shrieked when the plant next to him spoke. Reborn's face was sticking out of the side of the pot.

"What are you _doing_ in there?!"

"Observing," Reborn responded plainly. "Get to class before you are late Tsuna. A mafia boss is never late."

"For the last time, I'm not going to be a mafia boss!"

His complaints fell on deaf ears and, soon enough, he found himself racing to class.

"If I shoot at you will it make you run faster?"

"_No_, it _won't!"_

It happened anyway.

-00-

The lunch bell brought a wave of relief along with it. As his classmates burst into life around him Tsuna slumped over his desk and pillowed his head in his arms. Kyoko always ate lunch with Hana out in the courtyard and Takeshi, more often than not, would be practicing every single second he could. The rest of the student body was perfectly content pretending he didn't exist and Tsuna was happy to do the same. So, after planning to spend the entirety of lunch melding into his desk, he was expecting to be left alone.

"Baby omnivore."

Tsuna's spine snapped straight fast enough to crack. Lips wobbling along the edges from the surprise and the pain he sent a weak smile up at the boy looming over him.

He should have realized sooner. The class was never dead silent like it was the moment Kyoya walked into the room.

"H-hello Kyo-kun. Did you… need something?"

He didn't think he had done anything wrong today. He'd been on time, turned in all his homework, and had been a party of one for most of the day so crowding couldn't be the issue.

Grey eyes narrowed.

Tsuna gulped.

"Your new home tutor," he started, voice low and dark. Even the thought of the demon baby staying in his homemade a cold sweat break out across his forehead. "They are getting in the way."

'In the way'? Of what?

"I-I'm not sure what you me-Hiee!"

Tsuna leaned as far back as his chair would allow him to go when a sudden flash of silver cracked into the surface of his desk. A sizeable dent was left in the wood.

"Make. Them. Leave."

Kyoya stared him down for a second longer before taking his leave. His tonfa disappeared as his coat flared around his shoulders and within seconds the door was closed and he was gone.

The class breathed a sigh of relief, sympathetic glances being tossed towards the shaken brunette.

Tsuna breathed deeply as his heart pounded against his chest. Kyoya, for all that he was a dear friend, was _terrifying._ It had been a long time since he was on the other end of his ire and he had _not_ missed it.

"Hibari Kyoya. He would make an excellent guardian."

Tsuna shrieked again, flinging himself from his chair. Perched on the ledge of the window directly next to him was a large bird with Reborn's face on it. Tsuna could only gape when his classmates looked at him strangely before their eyes completely skipped over the toddler dressed as a falcon right outside.

"You should fight him," Reborn told him, completely aware that challenging a Hibari to a duel was the equivalent of signing a Will and Testament.

'_When will Dad realize how messed up all of this is?!'_ Tsuna dispaired. If he just spent a few minutes in the same room as Reborn his Dad would surely realize what was going on and do something about it but he'd been too busy!

"Go challenge him after school Tsuna."

"_NO."_

-00-

**The next morning**

Nana jolted awake. The high-pitched shrill of his alarm clock sounded far, far worse coming from the large headphones smushed against his ears.

Agh, God, why did he think this was a good idea?

Slapping for his phone he lifted it up to silence it, squinting blearily at the little reminder note that had just popped up.

Research

Oh. Right.

Flopping out of bed bonelessly Nana forced himself over to the tiny desk tucked into the corner of his room and flipped on his computer. Getting up at two in the morning to do illicit research into probably not legal servers wasn't his idea of a good time but it _was_ just about the only time Snake wasn't prowling around in the confines of his mind. It had taken Nana a long time to figure that one out. Throughout the years Nana had compiled a short list of facts about Snake, whether they wanted to know them or not.

1\. Snake had a real body somewhere, Nana was sure of it, and he was totally one of those people that would spend their entire day watching reality TV shows (i.e. Nana's life).

2\. Snake, while being alive, had no life and no friends. Nana kept trying to convince him to reveal himself so they could introduce him to the Yamamotos and start re-integrating with society. He was never amused by those talks.

3\. He really, really liked watching Nana cook. Which totally creeped Nana out at first until they realized he was using them as a type of sounding board for mistakes so he could try out whatever dish was made so long as it actually tasted good. It was the most normal thing Nana had ever witnessed from the man so they always amped up the drama a bit and pretended to be on a really over-extravagant cooking show (one shot of vodka their ass, so long as Tsuna wasn't home the whole bottle was going in!). Snake had even laughed once or twice. Nana had never before felt so validated (even though it seriously pissed them off that the feeling stemmed from _Snake_ of all people).

4\. The most important thing they had ever learned about Snake. His sleeping schedule.

Snake could, apparently, go a really long time without needing to sleep. Or, if he did sleep, it was only in little bursts of two-three hours. About a year ago Nana had challenged him to a Dream Journal contest where they would both do really weird shit before bed to stimulate the craziest dreams and then share them at the end of the week. Whoever won picked the breakfast and dinner menu for the following day (friendly side note: never, _ever _add ghost peppers cereal. Or to anything. Never eat ghost peppers). Thanks to that he had started sleeping more often, even if the handful of hours thing never changed, and Nana had gotten pretty good at predicting the times he would be out of their head.

It also helped that he had been sure to stay up late and wake up early the entire week Reborn had been there, constantly asking Snake questions to make sure the man stayed up with them. Packing the day full of training, history lessons, and just really weird shit (going grocery shopping for Aiko was a cinch. Going shopping for Natsuki was a war experience like no other). Now, while they were both tired, Nana could be sure he would be asleep for a while.

It was the best opportunity to get some answers.

Snake never interfered in Nana's life unless it was leading towards the future he had told them to protect.

He'd been very insistent on hiring Reborn.

Nana had never heard of Reborn.

When Lavina had first mentioned Reborn's name Snake had been all for it. Gokudera-san clearly trusted the infant (which told Nana enough to know the kid was tied to the mafia somehow) and if Reborn was similar to Nana like Snake had been implying then he was clearly very special. As his home-tutor Tsuna would be heavily influenced by Reborn's teachings; even more so now that they were living in the same house. Clearly Reborn was going to be important to whatever future Snake knew about for Tsuna, and yet he had never once mentioned him.

Clearly, Snake was up to some shenanigans.

Just because Nana saw him as a friend now didn't mean he trusted him. Snake had his own gameplan, and until he decided to actually show his hand Nana would make one of their own in return.

It was also still extremely satisfying to fuck with him. The pettiness for the whole 'forced reincarnation' thing had never, and most likely would never, die.

Nana yawned, jaw cracking along the sides as he keyed in his password. He then typed in the second, hidden password to pull up the server Kouske had set up for him. It helped teach him basic hacking skills (which were now fairly proficient) while keeping him safe from anything following him back. It was super suspect and totally illegal. It was also entertaining (Snake actually encouraged the stupid little finance reports Nana would mess with. Changing a shipment of weapons to caseloads of pomegranates was always a nice way to pass the time on a Sunday morning).

Nana hesitated for all of a second before searching up Reborn's name. This was the first time he was actually going behind Snake's back.

But it was for Tsuna.

Steeling themselves Nana hit search and waited for the results to process.

...And hooooly shit, that was a lot of info.

Oh. A lot of _redacted_ info.

Okay then.

Cool.

Who the _fuck_ did they just let into their house?

-00-

"_Why?!"_

Tsuna flung his arms out in an attempt to fully express how little he understood about the situation he was in.

The feathers of his recently destroyed pillow fluttered around him as he sat exactly where he had landed after being rocketed out of bed by a toy hammer (that was just as painful as a real hammer, just to keep the facts straight).

Reborn stared down at him, twirling the tiny green gun his chameleon had just transformed into around his fingers.

"As I said before, a good mafia boss is always punctual. School starts in an hour, it's time to get ready."

"I'm _not_ going to be a mafia boss!" Tsuna shoved himself up, immediately ducking back with a shriek when a bullet whizzed past his head. "Y-you could have just woken me up like normal too! I'm not a heavy sleeper!"

"Good to know. Ten points."

"What are these points even for?" Tsuna shook his head. "You know what? I don't care. You are literally insane. As soon as Dad figures out that you're crazy you'll be out of here."

A tiny booted foot smacked into his head. Tsuna yelped, curling over to cradle the bruised spot.

"What was that for?!"

"Your reflexes are too slow. We'll have to work on that."

"Why is this happening?" Tsuna cried, shaking his head.

"Tsu-kun?" a soft voice called at his door. Tsuna froze, looking up at it with wide eyes. "Are you awake? I thought I heard something."

"I-I'm awake Dad," he called back, shooting Reborn a warning glare. The baby completely ignored him and opened the door.

"Good morning Sawada-san."

Nana blinked down at him. "...Good morning Reborn-kun. What are the two of you doing up so early?"

"An early start helps prepare the mind for the day ahead," Reborn responded easily, his squeaky voice not letting Tsuna get a word in edgewise.

Nana hummed in the back of his throat before nodding. "That's true enough. I'll go start breakfast. Do you have any allergies Reborn-kun?"

"No. I always have a cup of coffee at the start of the day."

Tsuna deadpanned as his Dad agreed. Why was no one else noticing how _weird_ all of this was?!

"I do too, but are you sure you should be drinking coffee? It might stunt your growth."

"It won't."

Nana seemed to want to argue more but he held back. Tsuna frowned when he let out a loud yawn.

"Dad? Are you okay? You look… pale." Tsuna stood so he could walk over to them.

The dark bags under his eyes made Tsuna's frown deepen.

"I'm okay Tsu-kun, just a little tired. I didn't sleep so well last night."

He hadn't slept very well for more than one night, Tsuna thought. Reaching out he curled his fingers around his Dad's forearm, nudging him down the hall a bit. "I can take care of breakfast Dad. Why don't you go lay down for a little bit longer?"

Nana smiled at him, eyes crinkling at the edges. "That's sweet of you. If you want to make breakfast go ahead, but I'm going to talk with Reborn-kun about your schedule before I lay down."

That didn't seem like a good idea.

"I like my eggs sunny-side up," Reborn walked past him to stand next to Nana.

"Dad," Tsuna hissed, waving his arms towards the small monster that had invaded their home.

Nana reached out and ruffled his hair. "I know bud. Don't worry, I'll get everything set up okay?"

That wasn't really what he wanted to hear.

"Don't keep your Dad waiting Tsuna," Reborn lectured, tipping is hat so the Chameleon was staring dead at him. Tsuna shivered at the reminder of what the reptile could do. "It's rude."

Tsuna's expression soured. He was torn between running down the stairs and away from the gun-toting toddler (how could a baby be so _scary_?!) and shoving his way between the self-appointed hitman and his Dad.

"Tsuna," Nana called softly, grounding him with a hand on his shoulder. "Go start breakfast. Okay?"

One look at his Dad's eyes, warm but stern, had him deflating. "...Alright. Just don't… take too long. You need to rest."

"I'll try to keep it short," Nana promised, leaning forwards and pecking him on the forehead. Tsuna blushed, rubbing at the spot and grumbling a bit. He was too old for forehead kisses.

"You're never too old for forehead kisses," Nana informed him as though reading his mind. He looked fond and amused which only embarrassed him further.

"Breakfast will be ready in twenty minutes!" he called, escaping down the stairs before anything else could happen.

Dad's laughter followed him down as tiny black eyes tracked him as he ran.

-00-

Reborn scanned over the room when Nana opened the door, hopping up onto the desk in the corner. The walls were a nice sky blue with light grey borders. There were no curtains to hold back the light of the sun and besides the door leading to the closet and the side table next to the bed the desk with a small computer he was standing on was the only other piece of furniture. Looking at their room he would have thought Nana to be a minimalist but the rest of the house was too colorfully decorated. They must not spend a lot of time in their room then. In and out of the house, always hanging around whoever was home it wouldn't be far fetched to guess that this room was only ever used for sleeping and basic computer needs.

Nana peered out the door, eyes flickering over to Lavina's door at the end of the hall. She had the day off. She would most likely sleep in until Tsuna had left for school.

Closing the door with a soft click Nana locked the door.

Reborn turned towards him slowly, head tilting.

"I'm not trying to threaten you," Nana assured, palms up as he moved to carefully to sit on the edge of his bed. "I just don't want Tsuna coming in because he was worried."

Leon clambered down to his hands, settling into the palm of his right hand as he pet the lizard's head with his left. "You have questions about the lesson plans I gave you?"  
The piles of papers he had shoved into their arms were vast, carefully detailing what he would be teaching the Vongola heir while keeping the reasonings fairly simplistic. He hadn't expected them to read through everything so quickly.

"The lesson plans look fine," Nana shook his head. "I, uh, actually might steal a few of those more intensive ones. They'd work really well for the kid I teach myself."

Ah. The Hibari heir. It was nice to see some of his work done for him. Tsuna already had several influential ties he could use in the future.

"What did you want to know?"

Nana huffed out a stilted laugh, hunching over. "I can't believe I'm doing this," they muttered under their breath. "I… I know who you are. Mostly. I can guess at why you're here too. Something to do with the Vongola right? And Iemitsu?"

Reborn blinked. It would seem Iemitsu's sources were not as well informed as the man believed.

"I-," Nana sighed, head hanging low. "Look. I don't… like the idea of Tsuna having _anything _to do with the Mafia. It's one of the reasons I divorced Iemitsu. If I could keep him away from it I would but… I don't think I can. This feels like something that will just keep- keep coming. It won't let him go and I can only imagine what would make him say yes but I can't help but know, deep in my heart, that he will eventually agree to doing something with them. He'll want to help people, he just can't stop himself when someone is in trouble, and that whole set up is just a disaster in the making."

Nana did not mention the ominous prophecy of the world one day being in dire enough straights that some random listless soul had to be plucked from the afterlife just to make sure Tsuna was cared for in order to save life as we know it. They weren't completely insane. They thought about that enough as it was.

Nana glanced up at Reborn, sweating a bit when they realized he hadn't reacted at all. He was looking out the window, expression as vacant as the cloudless sky he was staring at. It was unnerving.

"_What are you doing?" _Snake demanded, bewildered.

"You're lessons are… hard," Nana settled on. "I've never tried to push him that far. I... I don't have the heart to do that to him if I can find any other way, but I know it will make him stronger. I know he _needs_ to be stronger for whatever trouble he'll have to face in the future. I just… I want to know what you're really training him for. Why you're really here."

"_Nana, you don't need to know this,"_ Snake insisted.

"I need to know," Nana looked up, eyes steely.

Reborn lifted his hand, settling Leon back onto his hat. The Sawada family was far more interesting than he thought they would be.

This was going to be a fun job.

"I was hired by Vongola Nono to train Sawada Tsunayoshi as the Vongola Decimo," he explained simply. "It is a title passed down through bloodlines and due to a series of unfortunate events the last living relative young enough to be raised for the title is your son."

Reborn watched with interest as Nana closed his eyes, jaw clenching so tightly he could hear their teeth grinding together. Their fingers slowly curled in and out, trembling with pent up energy.

"My blood or Iemitsu's," they forced out a few minutes later, breath hissing between the gaps.

"Iemitsu."

"And he can't take over because he leads the CEDEF," Nana nearly spat.

Reborn would have to have a serious talk with Iemitsu about investigational bias. Nana knowing all of this just pinpointed clear weaknesses in both their network security as well as their spy network.

"Shit," Nana pressed their hands into their eyes. "_Shit."_

"_...If it makes you feel any better, in the future, under Sawada Tsunayoshi's guidance, the Mafia will undergoe an extreme change. He will change it into a force for good and completely restructure both how it is run and how it is thought of." _Snake offered, realizing quickly that Nana had figured out one of the biggest secrets he had been keeping from them.

A familiar pulse of anger bloomed from how quickly he gave in. How at ease he still seemed.

"That doesn't make me feel better," Nana growled out.

"You wanted to know," Reborn pointed out blandly.

"I know," he sighed, tugging at the long strands of hair hanging around him as he tried to regulate his breathing. "I know. That's just… a bit more than I was expecting."

"What were you expecting?" Reborn was genuinely curious. Why had they let him into their home if they knew all of this?

"I don't know," Nana threw out one hand, gesticulating madly. "That Iemtisu was desperate enough to form a connection with his son that he would try to pull him into a criminal syndicate? _He _needed an heir? He finally realized that sealing away Tsuna's flames was a shitty life decision and was trying to fix it through underhanded, secretive means?"

Reborn made a mental note to explore exactly how much they knew about Flames later. Timoteo had mentioned that Nana had seen when Tsuna had his Flames sealed so that must have kick-started their research. Where had they learned more about them?

"Oh god, this makes things so much more difficult," Nana bemoaned, shaking their head back and forth as though they could dispell a vision. For Snake to have hidden this...

Tsuna would do it. That had to be the reason why. It was the only one they could think of for why he didn't tell them. If Reborn being here meant Tsuna would get involved with the Mafia then Nana would have never let them meet. And if Snake was willing to hide that from them, after _everything_ they had been through...

In order to save the world, Tsuna had to connect with the Mafia. The Vongola. That was what Snake cared about most, in the end. If he had hidden something it was to reach that end.

"Are you going to fire me?" Reborn wondered, hands in his pockets. It would be a shame not to have such immediate access to his student but he would find a way. He always did.

"No," Nana swallowed thickly, sounding very much like they wanted to answer differently. "The position doesn't change the fact that he would probably find a way into that shit hole one way or another. This only changes what I have to do."

Reborn twirled one of his sideburns between his fingers. He had taken this job as a favor but his interest was peaked now.

Nana nodded to themself, hands fisting at their knees tight enough to turn them white. "As a mafia boss you want him to have as much power, and as many connections as possible right? The more control he has over the whole- whole _society _you all have going the better?"

Reborn nodded. "As Vongola Decimo he will be very influential. The stronger the ties he has to other famiglias the better."

"Alright then," Nana breathed out shakily. "In that case, Reborn, I would like to hire you for a second job."

"And what job is that?"

Reborn felt his shoulders tighten, just a bit, when hazel brown eyes met his. His mind, unwillingly, flashed to Luce.

"I want you to help me take over the Mafia."

**-00-**

**Any guesses on the chapter title ;D**

**Reading through the last chapter as well as this one I realize I'm starting to lose some of the humorous tones I'm aiming for. Not a lot, but it's dropping steadily. I'll try to keep that more in mind as I go, feel free to mention if you notice something off! I hate the idea of the story losing anything because I missed a more appropriate tone or moment so have no fear in pointing anything out! A healthy dose of criticism makes me better, which makes your reading experience better too!**  
**Thanks for reading friends!**


	11. Kindness Takes Many Forms

**Tsuna learns about others and then himself.**  
**Friends are nice to have.**  
**Reborn observes.**  
**Nana panics. **  
**The Hibari family proves, once more, that they can not physically be real.**  
**Snake has some things to say.**

**-00-**

Kindness Takes Many forms

**-00-**

Tsuna hunched in on himself, eyes flitting between his Dad and Reborn on opposite ends of the table. He wasn't sure why there was a sudden, heavy pressure surrounding them but he didn't like it. Maybe it was because he hadn't made too much for breakfast? Rice had been the easiest thing to get ready quickly so he could call them down and they'd had a lot of fruit from the garden ready to be picked. Maybe he should have made something else...

"S-so, Dad," he stuttered out, flinching under the weight of two eyes. He wished Aunt Lavina was awake. She always had a way of cutting through tension like butter. "What, uh, what are you doing today?"

Nana blinked, eyes glazing over a bit in thought. "I'm not meeting with Kyoya for the week," he flicked his chopsticks absentmindedly around his fingers. "Tetsuya told me he was planning on reforming something. I didn't ask."

Understandable. Tsuna could only pray it had nothing to do with the school. So long as Kusakabe was there with him things should be relatively under control but even then things promised to be extreme.

"We're good on groceries, the housework is pretty much taken care of…" Nana looked bewildered. "I don't think I have anything planned for the day."

"That's great!" Tsuna perked up happily. "You should stay home and rest! Or do something with Aunt Lavina, since she has the day off too. You could, uh, go see a movie! Or get lunch at the Sushi shop!"

Nana smiled at his sudden burst of energy. "That all sounds great Tsu-kun. I'm sorry for worrying you these past few days."

Normally Tsuna would fluster a bit and deny it (he didn't know why he felt embarrassed about those sorts of things but Nana had told him it was all a part of growing up so hopefully, it wouldn't last forever) but the exhaustion Nana had shown these last few days trumped over his typical teen embarrassment. "You shouldn't push yourself so hard Dad. If you need help with something you should just ask."

"You're right," Nana sighed ruefully. "I'll try my best."

Tsuna nodded once, sternly. Noticing the empty plates around he stood before Nana could get up. "I'll get the dishes. You rest."

"Alright, alright," Nana laughed as he piled everything together. "You're so bossy today."

"Oh," Tsuna shuffled on his feet, ears red. "Sorry."

Nana shook his head. "It's nice to see. Be bossy all day, okay? Give your friends a shock for once."

"I-I'll try," he withdrew back into his shell as he escaped the room.

"You are making my job easier," Reborn sipped at the remains of his coffee, the last piece of silverware left (Tsuna had tried to take it, but one glint in tiny black eyes had his hand swerving for the plate instead).

"Mgh," Nana's lips pressed together like an accordion. "I know we have a deal but could you maybe no mention all _that_," he swirled his hand in the air dramatically, "all the time? It makes me anxious enough just thinking about it, we don't have to keep calling attention to it."

"The future isn't something that can be ignored," Reborn advised.

Nana begged to differ. He'd spent the majority of his life with selective memory loss and come out all the more sane for doing so. Prepare for the future while, at the same time, pretending it was never going to happen! Nana's life motto!

He was pretty sure Reborn wasn't going to want to hear that though, so he kept his mouth shut.

The sound of water hitting ceramic bowls and plates bounced into the room from the kitchen. Nana glanced at the clock. Tsuna still had thirty minutes before he had to leave.

"Oof," a soft thump came from the stairs. Nana stood up hurriedly, rushing through the hall.

"Lavina? You okay?"

The silverette had her face pressed into the wall directly in front of the bottom of the stairs, body lined up against it like it was the surface of a bed.

"Lavinaaa, wake up~" Nana tapped her head.

Dragging her face across the wallpaper Lavina managed to crack one eye open to stare at her dully.

"Careful there, don't strain yourself," Nana deadpanned. Lavina's new medication made her sleep deeper, which made it harder for her to wake up in the mornings. It would have been hilarious, being able to see the usually put together woman with a case of the morning grumps, if it wasn't for the fact that she still looked ready for a spontaneous photo-op the second she rolled out of bed. Her hair was tangled _just so,_ and her eyes were dilated a bit bigger in her daze giving her the eternal puppy dog eyes. It was adorable. She wasn't even grumpy, she just kind of stared out at the world until her brain started functioning at more than fifty percent. When Nana woke up like that he looked like he belonged underneath a bridge, guarding it against traveling goats just wanting to eat some grass.

"Mh," Lavina hummed, _melodically_, as Nana guided her towards the kitchen. He'd have to go grab her wheelchair later. He hated having her live on the second floor in the first place, but heaven forbid he try to talk sense into her.

"Come on, let's get you something to eat. Tsuna made breakfast."

A more concerned hum this time.

"He didn't burn anything this time. It's actually pretty good, be sure to praise him okay?"

An insulted huff, as though it were ridiculous to assume she hadn't been planning to. Which was fair. She heaped on the praise for his attempts when he boiled an egg so badly it turned black. It looked cool. Smelled like shit.

Lavina, without Nana there to stop either of them, ate the whole fucking thing with a smile on her face. Nana stayed up with her all night when she got sick, but they managed to keep that part from Tsuna.

They weren't allowed in the kitchen together anymore unless Nana was present.

"Tsu-kun, would you mind grabbing Lavina a plate while you're in there?" Nana called, settling the dozing woman into his previously vacated chair. Lavana yawned. Even the chin folding action everyone made looked like an act of poise coming from her. What the fuck.

"You disgust me," Nana let her know, his own face tucking into a toad-like mimicry of failure.

Lavina's head lolled back to look up at him, hand stretching up lazily to pat him on the face. "Dun' worry Nana. Very pretty. Cute as… button."

Nana did his best impression of Pepe the frog, batting her hand away. "I _know _you're pretty damnit, that's the problem."

Lavina frowned, opened her mouth, then yawned again. Giving up on whatever she had been about to say she chose to try to glue her face to the table instead.

"Ah ah ah," Nana pulled her back up, fake sadness breaking into a snicker when she muttered angrily. "You've gotta eat. It's the only way you'll wake up."

He'd have been more worried about the extreme drowsiness each morning if it weren't for the benefits her medicine gave her in return. Heightened energy levels, increased blood flow, and a stronger immune system. She was slowly working her way up to not needing her wheelchair for the entire day, now only using it maybe two to three times for short breaks. It was awesome.

"Here you go Aunt Lavina," Tsuna set her plate in front of her, drying off his hands on his shirt.

Lavina blinked over the normal looking rice and chopped up fruit. Smiling a warm-hearted, soft little twist of the lips she stared at him as though willing her positive thoughts to get across without the actual effort of speaking.

It apparently worked because Tsuna gave her a goofy, lop-sided grin and blushed. Scratching the back of his head he excused himself and rushed upstairs to get ready. Reborn looked over the two adults left behind, noting in the back of his head how gently Nana helped Lavina eat until the woman could hold her utensils on her own, before bounding after him.

"Thank you," Lavina murmured, lifting the spoon on her own now. Nana had found himself investing in more forks and spoons since Lavina had come to live with them, the dexterity needed for chopsticks sometimes evading her.

"Always," Nana replied, just as softly. They shared a smile before Nana got up to take a shower. He needed the time alone to actually think through what he had talked about with Reborn and the shower was always a good place for deep thinking.

Shucking off his clothes into a heap in the corner Nana turned on the water and waited a second for it to warm up. Stepping under the steaming stream he let his mind wander.

Okay. So. Taking over the mafia. That wouldn't be too hard, right? Reborn had seemed surprised (Nana had been too. Just because the job needed doing didn't mean he had realized it was a job to be done until right then) but not doubtful which had to mean something, right?

First things first, what resources did he have?

Reborn was one, thankfully. So long as it would benefit Tsuna he was all for just about anything which did a lot for Nana's trust in him. He still didn't want an assassin to be teaching his son anything, ever, but the fact that he was so dedicated to helping Tsuna grow (and in a positive way based on his lesson plans) meant a lot. Nana was willing to let it go for now. So long as the effects on Tsuna were positive he'd allow it. In return, Reborn would give Nana information and advice. His help was limited while he was tutoring Tsuna, he couldn't travel anywhere away from him so all the heavy lifting was left to Nana. That was perfect. He could go places if he needed to and rest easy in the knowledge that Tsuna would be safe while he was gone (even if he was still having troubles wrapping his head around a baby having that kind of strength).

Money was a pretty stable resource thanks to the Hibari family. Nana had no idea what this was going to look like cost wise but he could cross that bridge when he got there. For now, that bridge was stable.

Gokudera-san was an option and thanks to Lavina he would probably be the easiest start to making connections. Nana would start asking him little things first, the next time he called to check on Lavina, to see how reliable that route would be.

...Shit. Did he have anything else? Iemitsu was an option but with Reborn already having strong ties to the Vongola he was one Nana could ignore pretty easily. Besides, he wanted to do this for Tsuna. Bringing in people loyal to the current head of the family would just make them try to take whatever success (if there was any) for themselves. If he was going to try to build a foundation for Tsuna then it needed to be formed with people loyal to _Tsuna. _Everyone currently in the Vongola was out for now.

What else did he have? There were some old friends from boarding school that came from different famiglias but it had been so long since he had talked to them; he couldn't bank on their support.

Nana scrubbed some shampoo in his hair, frowning when he realized he had squeezed out more than he meant to.

Living in Namimori was wonderful in pretty much every way, which meant having criminal connections was rare. The only ones he could think of_here _that would even have any idea how to go about all of this were-

"Shit," Nana cursed, shaking his head.

No. No he wasn't going to go down that route. He already owed them waaay too much to be asking for favors like this. Hell, even if he didn't owe anything this was something he really didn't want his friends involved in. Besides, it wasn't like he _needed _their help to be successful. Probably.

Damn it. He'd think on it for a few days. Hopefully, his brain could conjure up something useful before he ran out of cards to play.

-00-

Tsuna waited until all of the footsteps outside of the bathroom had faded away before slinking out of the stall. Today was the volleyball game and, due to the really weird choices of their gym coach, a random student was picked to fill in for the regular that was out due to the flu. Tsuna's name had been picked.

The sudden appearance of Reborn right after the announcement, dressed as an elderly old man that had lost his way (old people weren't _that _small, how was anyone buying this?!) made him doubt the 'randomness' of the choice.

Still, he'd made it very clear he wasn't going to do it. He sucked at sports and whatever team he ended up on would surely lose because of him. It was really better for everyone if he just snuck away before the match even started.

Which is why he was hiding out in the boy's bathroom on the second floor while everyone else made their way to the gym.

"This sucks," he sighed, peering out to make sure no one else was walking around. He couldn't go home. Even if Dad and Lavina weren't there today Kyoya always somehow knew when he left so that was out. He could go to the library. So long as no one saw him on the way there the librarian couldn't care less about why you weren't in class so long as you were quiet.

Scurrying down the hallways Tsuna made sure to check around every corner. It seemed like things would be fine. The volleyball match had been the talk of the school for the better part of a month so even the teachers had been looking forward to it.

Halfway down the last hall to the library Tsuna paused. Something smelled really nice. This was the science wing, so usually when something smelled nice it meant book it the other way and hope no chemical incident caught up to you (no matter what the teacher said, Tsuna was eighty percent sure that wasn't normal) but everyone was gone. It wasn't coming from the classrooms either. It was coming from… the fire extinguisher holder?

Curiously Tsuna knelt down next to it.

The container that was supposed to be bolted down to the wall swung out like a doorway, catching Tsuna across the jaw.

"Ack!"

"What are you doing Tsuna?"

"What the- what is all that?!"  
Reborn sat cozily in the little space in the wall that had been revealed. The coffee maker bubbling away explained the smell but it didn't explain the miniaturized room, complete with chair and table, that appeared.

"This is one of my many hideouts," Reborn explained, leaning over to check on the progress of his expresso. "I have many throughout the school."

"And the school is _okay _with that?"

"The school," Reborn pulled out a gun, aiming it him, "doesn't need to know."

"Hieeee, okay, okay!" Tsuna waved his hands around in front of him. "I won't tell anyone!"

"Good."

Tsuna nearly collapsed in relief when the gun was put away. "Why are you even in there though? Everyone is in the gym, wouldn't you want to be there instead?"

"I knew you would come this way," Reborn smiled when the machine beeped, readying a cup for himself. "Because you are a wimp."

"I-I'm not a wimp!"

"Then what are _you _doing here? Your name was picked as the replacement. Out of everyone you have the most reason to be there."

Tsuna flushed, looking away. "E-even if I did go I'd just be in the way. They don't need me."

"They said that?"

"Well, no, but I know-"

"Tsuna-kun! There you are!"

Kyoko beamed down at him, eyes glancing curiously over the fire extinguisher case he was huddled next to.

"Everyone is waiting for you, what are you doing all the way over here?" she wondered, tilting her head.

"A-ah, Kyoko-chan, um, I don't think-"

Kyoko frowned, crossing her arms. The sudden stern expression had Tsuna wilting away.

"Were you thinking bad things about yourself again? Things like 'I'd only make it worse' and 'they don't want me there anyway'?

"N-no," Tsuna twisted his fingers together, looking away.

"You're lying!" Kyoko pointed at him accusingly. "I can tell! If you weren't you wouldn't be over here all alone pretending the world didn't exist!"

Tsuna shrunk even further into the ground. "...I really don't think they want me on their team."

He jumped when small hands mushed his cheeks together. Kyoko was kneeling in front of him, eyes ablaze.

"Did you ask them that? Did they tell you that you shouldn't show up?"

He couldn't speak with the way she was squishing his face so he just shook his head.

"Then how do you know? How can you know what they are thinking when you aren't them? Your name was picked a week ago, that's plenty of time to tell you they didn't want you but they didn't! They spent that whole week practicing for today!"

Tsuna felt his cheeks flush both from the embarrassment of having Kyoko so close, touching his face and the shame at having been caught. Pushing the blame on the volleyball team for not wanting him was just an excuse so that he didn't have to humiliate himself in front of the whole school. He didn't want people to start picking on him again.

"No one can make fun of you for trying your best," Kyoko shook his face gently. "And if they do then I'll- I'll beat them up!"

Tsuna couldn't help the spluttering laugh, lips vibrating from the repressed air as they were forced together. Kyoko startled at the sound, hands drawing back enough for him to really laugh.

"Kyoko-chan, you hate violence," he pointed out, the image of an infuriated mini version of her swinging her arms around valiantly at his would-be attackers imprinted in his mind.

"I do!" she nodded right along, completely ignoring the hypocrisy of her words. "But you're too nice to be treated like that Tsuna-kun. I wouldn't feel good about doing it but if it stopped you from being sad I'd do it. Nii-san would help too, even if I don't want him to either!"

Tsuna chuckled again, wiping at his eyes rapidly. "You don't have to do that Kyoko-chan. I'll go to the match."

"Really?" she clapped her hands together, smiling once more. "That's great! I know you'll try your best. Takeshi-kun is waiting in the stands already, I told him to save my seat."

"I guess we shouldn't keep him waiting," Tsuna smiled at her, eyes a little red. He was so, so very grateful to have a friend like her.

"That's right," she nodded, offering her hand to help him up. She didn't let go as they walked down the hall and Tsuna flushed happily. They hadn't held hands like this since they were kids. He'd missed it. "It's very rude, making everyone wait like that."

"You're right, I'm sorry."

"As long as you know."

"I do now. Thanks."

Reborn hopped out of his hiding spot, following after them.

'_Sasagawa Kyoko,' _he thought, encouraging Leon to transform and loading up two Dying Will bullets. '_She'd make an excellent addition.'_

-00-

Nana blinked, mouth open, as Takeshi regaled them all with the story of the volleyball match from earlier in the day over sushi. The shop was closed and they were all hanging out around the counter as Tsuyoshi served up everything that was left over (how he always managed to have the perfect amount to serve whoever showed up baffled him).

"It was awesome!" Takeshi cheered, shaking Tsuna a bit from where he was tucked firmly under his arm. Tsuna had his hands covering his face, beet red all the way up to the tips of his ears. "He jumped, like, twenty feet in the air! He went all the way above the net!"

"Wow!" Lavina clapped happily, eyes sparkling. "Tsuna-chan, that's amazing!"

"He blocked most of the other team's shots too," Takeshi continued to brag. "They'd hit him in the face a lot, he was so cool!"

"Thatta boy!" Tsuyoshi boomed, smacking the small boy on the back encouragingly. "I knew you had it in you!"

"I wish we had been able to come," Aiko mourned, placing her hand on the side of her face. "I knew we should have closed for the day, but I didn't know you would be part of the match Tsuna-chan! You should have told us!"

"Damn right you should have!" Nana finally chimed in, spirit returning to her. "What the heck Tsu-kun? Why didn't you tell me you were part of the match? I didn't even know there was going to _be _a match! Takeshi-kun, did anyone record it?"

"Haha, I'm pretty sure Kyoko-chan did. Want me to ask her for it tomorrow?"

"That would be wonderful, thanks," Nana nodded, completely ignoring Tsuna's dismayed screeches at the news of video evidence. "I'm sure she is recording Ryohei-kun's match today too, would you mind asking her for that one as well?"

"Sure thing," Takeshi nodded, cheerfully stuffing another piece of sushi into his mouth before encouraging Tsuna to grab one too.

Nana flopped back in his chair dismayed at having missed everything. Tsuna, actually participating in sports? Willingly? And he apparently demolished the other team's offense (she'd check over his head for any bumps when they got home, it was good to let everyone fawn over him).

Aghhh, why had he missed that?!

He made sure to pout at Tsuna the rest of the night, reveling in the guilty look aways and nervous finger twitches. That's right, feel bad about your secrets! Next time let your Dad come cheer you on as loudly as possible! Embrace it!

"Tell us again!" Tsuyoshi cried out, laughing happily as Aiko leaned into his side once she was done eating.

"Yeah!" They all cheered.

"No!" Tsuna wailed.

-00-

**One week later**

Nana was doing the laundry when her cellphone rang. Tucking it between her ear and shoulder she continued separating them for the washer.

"Hello?"

"Good morning Nana."

Nana scrambled for the phone when it slipped, desperately trying not to let it smash into the floor.

"N-Natsuki! Hello! You don't usually call me," she recovered.

There was a quiet huff on the other end of the line. "I'm out of the country for a few days so I will be unable to stop by."

Nana blinked. "...I saw you yesterday?"

"Yes. I was on the way to the airport when we ran into each other."

Nana thought back. Natsuki hadn't had any bags with her beside her usual backpack when she was working out. She had even been wearing yoga pants and a form fitted tanktop so Nana had just assumed she was out for a jog.

Nana opened her mouth for a second, then thought better of it.

"Did you need something?" she asked instead.

"If you have the time," Natsuki sighed. "Kouske had a fever when I left and I doubt he has been taking care of it as he should. Would you mind dropping by and checking on him?"

"You guys can get sick?!"

Nana could feel the laws of nature rewriting themselves. What did sickness look like in a Hibari? Did they turn into a regular person? Did they transform into beasts?!

"Everyone can get sick," Natsuki drolled as though speaking to a child. "Are you able to go?"

"I, well, yeah? I guess? What should I expect? Does Kyoya get sick too? I mean, as a kid he should have gotten sick way more often than the two of you but I don't remember something like that happening. Since he has both of your genes is he just crazy immune? Hey, wait, why isn't Kyoya watching him?"

"I gave Kyoya a job to keep him out of the house while I am away. I don't need them fighting right now and no, he is not immune," Natsuki sounded amused. Nana frowned at the weird cracking sound coming from her end. "There have been times where he was ill. You saw him for most of them."

"Seriously?" Nana pushed the phone further into her ear, trying to make out what the noise was. "Was it during our lessons? He shouldn't have come if he wasn't feeling well."

"Both Kouske and Kyoya have the same mentality on being sick," something snapped loudly. It kind of sounded like wood? "They like to believe germs are something you can fight against. Training with you has always been the most efficient way of tiring out Kyoya so he can rest. It always brightens his mood."

It was almost flattering to know that Kyoya found beating the shit out of her to be so cathartic it could even help him rest better when he was ill. Almost.

"That's… great," Nana deadpanned. A sharp clang had her flinching away from the receiver. "Is everything okay over there?"

"Yes," she replied simply. "There is soup in the fridge. I told the staff to take time off while I am away as well, so as to avoid any incidents while he is resting so you will have to reheat it yourself. He needs to eat it all by the time I get back."

"Whoa, wait," Nana back peddled. "What? Why did you have to send them away? Is Kouske like Kyoya? Will he beat me up when I get there?!"

"Of course not, you are a valued friend. He does not like the staff."

"Then why do you even have them?"

"If he were to take care of everything himself like he wants to then the amount of free time he has would be greatly decreased. Both Kyoya and I would rarely see him which is not ideal."

Holy crap, she actually sounded irritated. Sulky, even.

"Okay, so, that's super cute how you want to monopolize his time and everything but are you _sure _he won't attack me?"

"You will be," the sound of metal grinding against stone screeched in the background, "fine. Find something to distract him so he is not doing work. I have already hidden his laptop but given enough time he would find it."

"The more we talk the less confident I feel," Nana thought it was fair to let her know. "This is sounding more and more like mission impossible."

"Very well, then I shall let you go. Text me if you have any questions. Do not call."

Before Nana could question why the very financially well off woman would worry about out of country data calls there was a sound like a muffled scream and she suddenly found that she really, really didn't want to know. Ever.

"Okay, sure thing, bye!" Nana squeaked out.

"Goodbye. Thank you Nana."

"Uh-huh, you're welcome!"

The line clicked off.

With wides eyes and trembling fingers, Nana sent a text to Lavina.

**Nana: **I think I just heard someone being murdered. Natsuki told me to go take care of Kouske while she's out of the country and I might actually die. Lavina. Help me.

It took all of ten seconds to get a response. Nana flung herself dramatically over the dryer, banging her head softly against the metal.

**Lavina: **Is he not feeling well? While ur over there tell him thanks for that last dress he sent me. It was gorgeous!

**Nana: **I tell you I am heading towards my death and you talk dresses? I thought we were friends Lavina!

**Lavina: **Hayato might be coming to visit soon and I would like to look nice for the occasion. Could you as Kouske-san if he has the time to make a blouse like the dress but in a light blue color?

**Nana: **That'd be cute. Hayato's coming to visit?

**Nana: **Wait, no! Lavina! Stop avoiding the issue here!

**Lavina: **;3

**Nana: **You're dead to me

**Lavina: **We can be dead together!

**Nana: **Lavina no!

-00-

"I'm off," Nana called out weakly, shifting her backpack on her shoulders.

Tsuna looked at her pityingly. Stepping forwards he wrapped her up in a hug. "Good luck Mom. I'll miss you."

"Stay strong for me Tsu-kun," Nana warbled, returning the embrace fiercely. "And no matter what Lavina says, if it's burnt throw it away. Always."

"Okay."

"Oh my gosh, you big babies," Lavina shooed them apart and pushed Nana towards the door. "Kouske-kun is a perfectly reasonable man. You'll be fine."

"Remeber me," Nana whispered, pained. "Rember who I was."

Tsuna nodded, teary-eyed. Lavina rolled her eyes and closed the door on her face. "The longer you put it off the worse it will be!"

Nana dragged her feet the whole way. She'd lived a good life, she supposed. She had a good family, loving friends (except Lavina _apparently) _, and she'd seen more beauty than most ever would in their life. All in all, she'd done well for herself.

It took her twenty minutes to get to the Hibari family home (which was the weirdest mix of traditional Japanese, with the tatami mats and sliding doors, and modern day, with the fancy-ass porch and high tech kitchen). It took another ten to build up the courage to knock.

After the fifth time knocking with no answer she dared to try the doorbell.

Her phone buzzed.

**Assholebari: **The window is open

"The window-" Nana scowled. Shaking her fist up at the camera she knew was placed perfectly in the shadows of the archway she started yelling. "I'm not climbing through your window you dick, come and open the door!"

The camera beeped once before drooping as it was turned off.

Nana gapped at it. "Ohh, you son of a bitch. If Natsuki hadn't asked me to be here I would have left you to rot in your- your beautiful home and fancy garden!"

Got him.

Making sure to flip off the other camera near the walkway Nana adjusted her backpack and meandered around the building. Checking the ridiculous amount of windows she kicked the side of the wall when she found them all locked.

"None of them are open you asshole!"

Her phone buzzed again. Giving the nearest camera the stink eyes she tapped her phone.

**Assholebari: **Second floor

After a round of shrieking and cursing Nana managed to use the porch beams to scramble up onto the roof. Thankfully the open window was practically right next to it so some basic wall shimmying was all she needed to get inside.

A hoarse cough greeted her when her feet touched the floor.

"All right, now that I'm _finally _up here what-" she cut herself off, eyes wide. "Oh my god. You look _adorable."_

Light blue eyes narrowed dangerously but the effect was ruined by floppy hair and brightly flushed cheeks. Kouske was immobile on the bed, completely wrapped up like a burrito in what had to be, like, five blankets. The fabric was pushed up a little bit past his chin making his cheeks seem rounder as they bunched up towards his eyes. Nana hadn't even been aware he had enough cheek fat to be able to bunch. This was good information.

"Wait," Nana frowned. "How were you able to text me if you look like that?"

"Computer," Kouske rasped, "close the window."

Nana jumped a bit when the window she had just crawled through slammed shut. "What the fuck? Holy crap, do you have a Jarvis? Kouske, are you secretly Iron Man?"

The man's eyebrows coiled together in the perfect mix of confusion and disgust. "...Who?"

"Nevermind," Nana waved her hand in the air. "Did you get your computer to do that?"

"Natsuki."

"Iron Woman," Nana breathed out reverently. A low growl started to emanate from the pile of sick laid out on the bed so she pushed the thoughts away for later. "Have you eaten or drank anything today?"

Kouske was suspiciously silent.

"Right, okay then. Let's start with that. You need anything before I go get the soup ready?"

"My laptop."

Nana shook her head, totally basking in the non-threatening presence of the scariest person she knew. "No can do. Natsuki said no work."

She had to curl her lips inwards, biting them to keep from laughing. Kouske looked like a pouty little kid that just got his favorite toy taken away.

"I'm gonna go get your food then. Call if you need anything."

Coughing to hold back her giggles she hurried out, bounding down the stairs towards the kitchen. This was going to be _way _better than she had first thought.

With a bright little grin Nana opened up the fridge. The smile fell off, replaced by wide eyes and an open mouth.

That… was a lot of soup.

Meal-sized containers lined the entire inside of the fridge, nearly blocking out the light of the automatic lightbulb in the back. Jesus, how much was in here? A hundred containers? There wasn't even any room for other food!

...How long did Natsuki say she was going to be away?

Shaking away the foreboding thoughts Nana snagged the one at the top of the stack in the doorway holders. Blinking at the helpful sticky note on the microwave that told her how long to heat it up she passed the time by rifling through the drawers around the oven.

Nana would have to ask if she could make a meal here sometime. They had a lot of nifty stuff, she could probably make something awesome.

"Alright Kouske," she announced herself, hip-bumping her way back into the bedroom. "I've got your soup and some water. There's some meds in my bag if you haven't taken any yet. I just kinda grabbed a whole bunch of shit I thought would be useful so you'll have to tell me- ah! Hey! Where'd you get that?!"

Kouske briefly glanced at her, fingers typing away at the laptop settled across his legs. He had two of the blankets wrapped around his legs while the other three were tossed over his shoulders like capes. He blew harshly at the strands of hair that kept falling into his face but seemed mostly unbothered.

He grew extremely bothered when Nana slid his laptop away from him and replaced it with a large bowl of soup.

Nana ignored the death glare daggers, instead choosing to stuff the computer underneath all of the shoes she could find in the closet. This way she would hear if he tried to get it. Probably.

"No. Work." She stressed out the words as best she could. "Natsuki's orders."

"I wasn't working," Kouske huffed around a mouthful of soup. Nana hadn't realized how tense he was until the creases around his eyes melted away once he'd taken a bite.

"I totally don't believe you," Nana placed her hands on her hips. "Need any fever reducers? I've got a thermometer here too."

"No," was what he said.

Hell yeah, is what Nana chose to hear. Unpacking most of her bag she tossed some Advil his way. Knowing that there was no way in the history of existence she was going to be able to make him open his mouth for the thermometer she opted to pick up one of the ear thermometers from the store on the way over. She hid it against her side, lifting up a little clip for him to see.

"Want this? For your hair."

He glared at her, jerking his chin towards the wooden cabinets lining the far wall. Nana raised her eyebrow but checked them out nonetheless. With his chipper, upbeat guidance (honestly, he was such a child) she pulled out the third drawer in the middle.

"I see how it is," she deadpanned down at all the hairclips inside. "_My _hairclips aren't good enough for you. Sorry, your highness, for not having good enough taste in hair ware."

Kouske ignored her, sipping serenely at his meal. When Nana approached she batted his hands away from grabbing the thin black band she had snagged.

"I got it, I got it," she said, keeping out of reach. "Eat your soup."

He looked suspicious but that soup must have been really damn good because he opted for that choice. Rounding up the tufts of hair closest to his forehead she clipped them all together right as she stuck the thermometer in his ear.

Kouske jumped, elbowing her in the gut.

"Agh!" she went down like a sack of bricks. The thermometer beeped. "Ha! Ow, take that you, ugh, bastard! Totally got your temp!"

Kouske blinked down at her, unimpressed.

Wobbling her way back to her feet Nana glanced at the reading. "That's pretty high," she frowned down at the 101.9. "I'll check again when your medicine has kicked in. How are you feeling?"

The withering stare sent her way told her all she needed to know.

"Right, well," she brushed the palms of her hands over her thighs, "I'm going to go grab some lunch for myself. Do you guys have anything besides soup?"

"Pantry."

"Oh, duh. Okay, I'll be right back. And don't go for the laptop! I'll hear!"

Twenty minutes later, armed with a box of crackers and some peanut butter, Nana found Kouske typing away looking as though he had never moved from his spot.

All the shoes were put back where they belonged too.

"Why are you this way?" Nana shook her head. "I'll let you keep it until I'm not starving any more but then that goes away, okay?"

Kouske ignored her.

"You are such an ass," she muttered, ripping open the crackers and dipping them straight into the peanut butter jar. She stuck her tongue out at his disgusted scowl.

"You should focus on the smaller families first," Kouske spoke up suddenly, his sentence interrupted by a raspy cough. "There are a few with deeper connections to the bigger families than what it seems, they would be a good stepping stone.

Nana blinked. What was he-

She paled. "How do you know that?"

With one eyebrow raised Kousked turned the screen towards her. It was the hacking sight he had set up for her, alongside the history of everything she had researched. The most recent search, that had unsurprisingly brought up zero results, was 'how to take over the mafia'.

"..."

"You are lucky to already have the Vongola as a guarantee in the future," Kousked coughed, flipping the computer back towards him. "Without them, it would take you twenty years at the very least."

Nana swallowed. She was fine with that, she knew this kind of thing would take time. And honestly, it barely even shocked her that Kouske knew. At this point, it was always safer to just assume he knew everything and work from there. "And with them?"

"Three to four."

"Years?!" Nana's mouth dropped open. "You know I meant the whole mafia right? Like, all of them? As much as possible?"

Kouske blinked at her once. Slowly. "Clearly."

"Three or four is a huge difference from twenty," Nana talked as she chewed, holding her hand over her mouth so he wouldn't stop talking to her out of revulsion. "Why the big leap?"

He drained the last of his soup, setting to bowl on the side table. "The Vongola is already one of the biggest seats of power. They lay the foundation for all the other families, regardless of how strongly they are divided. The foundation is the hardest part. Having that already done makes everything simpler. You'll probably take five years though. At the least."

Nana felt like that was supposed to insult her. "You just said three to four. Now you're saying five."

"_You _will take five," he stressed, coughing into his elbow. "Anyone else would be faster."

"Are you calling me slow?" she wondered.

"I am calling you kind."

Nana, who had been building up a lengthy insulting nickname to throw back at him, snapped her mouth closed. She blinked slowly, face rapidly turning red.

"...That's the nicest thing you have ever said to me."

"It is the only nice thing I have ever said to you," Kouske yawned.

"That's not true," Nana was fidgeting, brain still processing. "You said my cooking was good the last time we all met up!"

"I was commenting on your abilities, not you as a person."

"Okay. Ouch."

"Being kind is not always a good thing," Kouske continued, clearly in a sharing mood. "It makes others weak."

Nana leaned back, confused. "Don't you mean it makes _me _weak?"

Which she didn't agree with at all, but a lot of people saw it that way.

"No," Kouske closed his laptop, apparently done with whatever it was he had been doing. "Kindness is a choice. It takes a brave person to choose it. Being kind means being unselfish, giving more of yourself away to the benefit of others. It makes others dependent. Knowing someone is kind means knowing they will help you, destroying personal growth and strength."

Nana reached over, grabbing the laptop and setting it gently on the floor. "It's not a bad thing to ask for help," she said, softly. Kouske burrowed down on his bed, one eye cracked to look at her.

"It is if it hurts the one asked. If it lessens the lesson you would have learned otherwise."

Nana grimaced, not at all sure how to take what he was saying. "Is that why it would take me so long? Because I'm too nice?"

"No," he rolled his eyes, wrapping the blankets around himself in the approximation of a burrito once more. "You will take longer because we will make you do so. Three years is enough time to destroy yourself if you let it."

This conversation was seriously derailed. What was even going on anymore?

"We?" Nana helped him tuck the blankets around him, removing two despite his complaints so it wouldn't make his fever worse.

"Natsuki asked you for help. We always repay our debts."

"Whoa, okay, hold on there," Nana leaned over him, making sure he didn't fall asleep. "Making sure you don't kill yourself from overwork is totally different from taking on a criminal syndicate, okay? Those do not even out!"

"They will," Kouske yawned, using one hand to shove her face away before disappearing completely into his cocoon. "Over time."

And that was that, apparently. Nana tried goading him into answering some more questions because what the fuck was that, that was the most words she had ever heard him speak _collectively, _but he was fast asleep. When Nana finally gave up and just stuck her hand down the rabbit hole with the thermometer (bumping his head once or twice on accident) his fever had gone down to 100.5.

Her phone buzzed in her back pocket.

**Ladybari: **I had almost forgotten. Kouske will want your measurements for the outfits you will need when dealing with certain famiglias. I am certain he has forgotten, be sure to remind him when he is feeling better.

" _What the fuck_," Nana breathed out, sinking down into a curled up ball on the floor.

-00-

It was two in the morning and Nana could not sleep. Her mind had been completely blown to smithereens that afternoon thanks to Kouske and even after he had woken up later he just ignored her when she tried to question him more! Just told her to wait until Natuski gets back, but who the hell knows when that was going to happen!

Which left her tired but unable to sleep, staring up at her ceiling and making little shapes out of the divets and imperfections in the plaster.

"_Nana."_

With a groan she flipped over, shoving her face into her pillows.

"_You can not ignore me forever."_

Watch her.

"_...I am sorry."_

Nana pursed her lips, unmoving.

"_Tsunayoshi's involvement with the Mafia is something I could have told you. There are a select few things I must keep hidden in order to secure the future, but that was not one of them."_

Her brows furrowed. "I thought you kept it from me because I would try to stop it."

It was muffled by fabric and feathers but he managed to hear her. He always did.

"_Reborn would have managed with or without your knowledge. Your son is tied to the Vongola family in a way no one can see yet, he would have found his way to them regardless of your attempts."_

"For fuck's sake," she hissed, flopping around in a vain attempt at releasing some of the pent up anger. "You _seriously _such at apologies."

"_I am sorry," _he said again, voice blank. "_I hid this fact away for your sake."_

"What?" Nana's face twisted. She sat up, throwing her pillow at the wall. "That's bullshit, how was that for me?"

"_Tsunayoshi will find value in his ties to the Vongola. He will find acceptance and purpose, as will those around him. The only person who will be hurt by his involvement, in the end, will be you."_

Nana scoffed. "I don't- I don't _like _the idea of it, but if it helps him then I wouldn't try to stop him. I'd help him. I _am _helping him."

"_That is exactly why I did not tell you. You would find out, one way or the other, but if the option were to be presented to Tsunayoshi before you knew then you could turn some of that self-blame into anger. Instead of forcing yourself to push him towards that future goal you would find yourself traveling alongside him, unaware and faultless. It would hurt you less to blame another for not telling you, than for you to have known beforehand and be forced to observe and wait while he was thrust into that world."_

"Why do you care how I feel about all this? Last time I checked you forced me into this, it's a bit late to care now."

Snake was silent for a long time. Nana was feeling, just a tiny bit, guilty. Not enough to apologize, cause that asshole deserved their wrath, but you couldn't really spend thirty-four years with someone and not be at least a little fond of them.

Even if they were jerks.

"_...I care now."_

Nana breathed through her nose, grabbing her other pillow and wrapping around it like an octopus. Her eyes burned suddenly and she scrubbed at them fiercely.

What was it Kouske had said? Being kind meant giving more of yourself away? Was this kindness too, just in a different way?

"If I have a question for you, will you answer me truthfully?"

"_If I can."_

"Even if you don't want to?"

"_...I will try."_

Damn it. Nana wanted to stay pissed, this kind of shit was what made her drop kick Iemitsu to the curb. But she knew Snake. He was the insensitive asshole with a plan to save the world and over the years she had noticed things. His morbid, jerkish humor. His fascination with nature and music (he could deny it all he wanted, Nana knew he was fond of Lavina).

His loneliness.

Nana was willing to bet that she was his only real connection. He was _always _there, which meant he couldn't really be focused anywhere else. He couldn't talk to others if he was always talking to her.

If Tsuna was the only person in her life, if she had never met any of her friends and had just sequestered herself in her home to take care of him, would she have the strength to let him go? Would she be brave enough to try to make the best future for him when that future might not include her, if he was all she had?

"I'll forgive you," Nana lifted her eyes over her pillow, heart aching. "On two conditions."

"_I can not guarantee anything."_

"Well let me get them out first, jeez," she huffed. "Condition one!"

She could hear him sigh when she shouted, flinging out a finger dramatically.

"From now on, if you can tell me the truth you need to tell me. If you can't you need to tell me you can't so I at least know there's something important going on."

"_Very well."_

"Condition two!" she lifted two fingers this time. "You need to meet someone."

"_In what capacity?"_

Oh-ho, so he wasn't denying that he could anymore.

"Any capacity. I honestly don't care who or how but you have to start talking to someone that is not me. I get that you're not ready to go out and meet a bunch of people but you've gotta try something. Online chat rooms, penpals, whatever. Just try your best to make a connection."

He hummed, clearly displeased.

"It's the only way," Nana reminded him.

"_Fine," _he sounded like he'd just had his teeth pulled. "_I will… attempt to converse with someone else."_

"And it can't be for the sake of the future!" Nana added in quickly. "It's gotta be someone totally random! You can't pick someone that will help Tsuna."

He made a disgruntled noise.

"That's right, I'm _forcing _you to socialize you damn hermit."

"_I suppose there are worse things you could have asked for. I will start searching tomorrow."_

"Good."

"_Probably."_

"No 'probably's! Do it!"

"_Fine," _he sighed. "_You should really get to sleep soon. As it is now, you only have a few hours left."_

"Ah shit, you're right," she flung herself back under her covers, bundling up. "I don't know if I can now though. Today's been too big of an emotional rollercoaster."

"_In 1941 Martha Argerich was born. She is thought to be one of the greatest pianists of all time. As a child, she was first introduced to a piano at the age of-"_

Nana fell asleep five minutes later.

**-00-**

**Kouske is a chatty Cathy when he's sick. ^.^**

**By the way, I can't make any crazy promises but I am going to be needing some OC's for various famiglias. There's gonna be a hefty amount (don't worry, I won't throw a bunch at you at once) of people in the Mafia, realistically, so I'm gonna need some people to be in them. If you want to throw any peeps my way I will welcome them with open arms! You will, of course, be credited for whoever you create I just need a name, Flame type (for reasons), and something they like/hate (also for reasons). You can be as detailed or as vague as you want, just know that I can't promise anything that might conflict with already developing plot but I'll let you know if I can't do something you want. Pretty open though, so a lot of stuff goes.**  
**Let me know!**


	12. Chapter 12: Lies

**Nana and Reborn bond over food**

**Fish people fashion is the future**

**Friends make you happy**

**Friends make you mad**

**Friends make you sad**

**Surprise visits and last minute trips are all the rage nowadays**

**-00-**

Lies

**-00-**

Nana tiptoed along the sides of his feet down the hallway, hands brushing along the wooden paneling. He'd gotten home from his lesson with Kyoya late again. The more advanced the kid became the harder he had to study to keep things interesting. The librarians all knew him by first name basis at this point. Pretty much all of his free time was filled with books, books, and more books. Thank goodness boarding school had such an intensive program or he would have already fallen behind the Hibari teen's level of knowledge. As it was, another year or two and he would be out of things to teach him if he didn't seriously amp up his game.

A light flicked on in the main room, making him reel back in surprise.

"You're home late again," Reborn remarked, sipping at his drink leisurely.

Nana took one look at the baby sitting in the large cushioned chair and snorted. "You sound like a parent scolding their kid for being out past curfew. What are you doing down here in the dark?"

"Waiting for you," he stood up, gently depositing the chameleon that had been sleeping in his lap onto the brim of his hat.

Nana followed him into the kitchen, bemused. "What for? Is Tsuna okay?"

"He is fine," Reborn waved the concerns away, hopping up on the counter. "We should discuss this over snacks."

Nana rolled his eyes. "You just wanted me to make something for you to eat, didn't you?"

"Your food is the best," he shrugged, unrepentant.

"Damn right it is," Nana grumbled, digging through the fridge. "I haven't eaten dinner yet. What did Lavina make? I don't see any leftovers."

Reborn sat at the edge, legs crossed as he nursed his cup between his tiny palms. "I threw it away. Tsuna tried to help."

Nana grimaced in disgust. "...Maybe don't let him do that."

"He'll learn one day."

If Reborn wanted to somehow, miraculously turn Tsuna's frankly horrifying food creations into something edible then Nana said more power to him.

"I've got some chicken left in here. Fried rice sound good?"

"Add egg and broccoli."

"Bossy," he huffed, pulling the ingredients out. "Start the rice in the cooker while I get these ready then."

Nana was almost surprised when he followed his instructions. He didn't do much around the house but Nana always noticed when Reborn helped out with things he didn't have to. He wasn't making him pay rent (hitman or not, he was still a baby) so maybe it was Reborn's way of earning his keep?

Ah well. Whatever the reason he wouldn't turn down the help.

"How is Tsuna doing?"

"His math average has risen by three points, his history and science by five."

"That's awesome!"

Reborn started handing him little bowls filled with rice once the timer went off so he could add them to the pan on the stove. "His physical education scores are the same but he has taken up running after school every day."

"Yeah," Nana sighed, stirring in the rice and slowing adding the chicken and egg. The broccoli was cooking in a little pot in the corner. "That's always been his weakest point. He joins me for a lot of my runs but it's hard to keep up that kind of thing all on your own. I didn't want to force him."

Reborn side-eyed him, black eyes blinking slowly. "But now you have to."

Nana felt a little bit of weight add to his shoulders at the thought. "...Yeah. If he wants to make his own choices he has to be strong enough to stand by them."

He hummed but didn't comment. Sizzling sounds filled the kitchen, quickly followed by the delicious smell of a warm meal. Nana could feel a bit of drool start to build up in his mouth as his stomach cried out.

As soon as everything was mixed together and their plates were filled Nana started shoveling the rice into his mouth before they were fully seated. Reborn thanked him for the food, eyes amused, before digging in as well.

"For someone so busy you are a very skilled chef," he remarked, appreciative.

Nana tucked his food into one cheek so he could talk and chew at the same time without being super gross. "I had a lot of free time when Tsu-kun was younger and I was freaked out about him growing up. I practiced a bunch of different meals to make sure I could keep him as healthy as possible."

Reborn glanced at the cupboard full of sweets and junkfood. "You don't seem very strict about his diet."

Nana shrugged. "I was when he was younger but he's old enough to choose what he eats. I taught him the importance of good, healthy food and restraint for other stuff but there's nothing wrong with enjoying good food. I still make sure his meals are well balanced and Lavina helps a lot with that too."

"You make a good team."

"Yeah we do!" he grinned, a piece of rice falling from his chin as he did so. He caught it before it hit the table and tossed it back in. "I don't know what I would do without her here. I invited her to stay with us so I could help her get better but she's helped me out _way_ more than anything I could ever do."

"I can see why she chose to stay here," Reborn finished off his plate. Nana watched him hop over to the counter for seconds. He'd be following him in a sec but he made sure to grab a much bigger plate. He'd been _starving._

"What do you mean?"

"She has a son over in Italy, I had wondered why she would choose to stay in Japan when she clearly cares for him."

Nana blinked up at him. "...How much do you know about them?"

"Probably more than you," he said honestly, rejoining her.

Fair enough. Once he had learned that Gokudera Salvi was more of an information broker than anything else he'd stopped keeping strong tabs on him. His work never seemed to hurt innocents and all of his actions up to date showed a hatred for human trafficking and drugs. As soon as Snake had told him about the man's family history (which explained why he hated those so deeply) he'd turned his eyes elsewhere.

"As long as she wants to stay she's welcome," Nana snagged the last few bites on the plate before moving to get more. "Honestly it's safer for her here and all of her medical information is here too. Changing doctors suddenly might hurt her recovery."

Reborn nodded. "I've started making a list of Famiglias you should start with."

Nana yawned, tucking his face into his shoulder to muffle it. It took a moment for his brain to process the sudden change in topic.

"How are you deciding that?"

"You should start with ones you already have a connection with. Right now my minions are gathering info on all of the classmates you interacted with at the Mafia run all-girls boarding school."

"I knew it!" Nana slapped his hand down, excitedly pointing his chopsticks at him. "I _knew_ it was weird how many of the girls had criminal backgrounds!"

'_...You didn't know?'_ Snake sounded incredulous. '_Every child there was from a Famiglia except you Nana.'_

"Yes," Reborn polished off his plate and leaned back, content. "I was surprised to see you had attended without having any prior connections with the mafia at all. It seems it was a filing error."

"Filing error," Nana deadpanned.

"_The secretary uniforms were very uncomfortable. I made sure they fixed that bit of dress code before I left."_

Nana curled his lips in to seem thoughtful instead of on the verge of laughter. Even the staff had been all female there. If Snake had snuck in wearing one of the staff uniforms…

"Your high score levels and adaptable personality were the reason they did not send you home immediately," Reborn informed him. "They thought your presence would be… stabilizing for some of the other girls."

Yeah, he could see that. A lot of them had been a hair shy from crazy town, at the very least. Almost all of them had good hearts, just… odd minds.

"I'm not sure if we'll get anywhere with them," Nana flicked a grain of rice around, chewing thoughtfully. "After Tsuna was born I lost contact with pretty much everyone. I was so busy that if they didn't call me I forgot my phone existed. We all just got too busy."

"I doubt they would have wanted to endanger their civilian friend. They will listen, regardless of how much time has passed. The Mafia never forgets."

"Okay. Ominous, taken out of context."

"It is meant to be."

"Yep, that's a sign that it's time for bed," Nana yawned again. Grabbing the plates he shoved them into the sink to do later. "Good talk Reborn."

"I learned a lot."

"I said 'good' talk. Don't make this weird."

"Sleep well Nana."

"Mh. You too."

Nana was asleep before his head hit the pillow. His dreams that night were filled with hormonal teenagers armed to the teeth and ready to fight to the death for the best air-conditioned room on a hot summer day.

With Lavina and Sofia at his side, he leaped into the danger with a smile on his face.

They lost in the end, but that was only because Beatrice was an unstoppable force of pure chaos.

She still let them sneak in.

-00-

The rain in Namimori was like a household sink. For most of the day, it was off. Every once in a while it would turn on to wash away grime and muck with a gentle, warm shower that never lasted for very long. These were the Spring and Summer showers the residents had come to expect in their day-to-day lives.

Sometimes, very rarely, the sink broke. The handle propels itself through the air on a clear path of devastation, right for your rack of antique plates, while the faucet turns into Niagra falls. Water goes everywhere, and though your attempts to flip-flop your way across the room to stop this horrible disaster before it goes too far are brave the kitchen floor is already covered in at least an inch of liquid and you are left with no other choice than to reverse the entire evolution of mankind and reclaim your gills from when dry land was but a myth.

"_Gills would not save you from the force of the water hitting your body."_

Good point. Raindrops with the force of a fired bullet would kill an aquatic creature just as easily as the rapidly becoming extinct land dwellers. Alongside gills, they would need a thick coat of armor around them to have even a hope of survival.

"_Armor would, inevitably, cause you to sink. Your body would be unable to handle the pressure the further you fell and you would be crushed."_

Like a soda can. So armor light enough to be valid for free roam water travel but strong enough to stop a projectile going roughly one thousand seven hundred miles an hour.

"_I am proud of you for remembering that after so many years but recall that in water the speed of a bullet will be drastically reduced, as will the distance it can travel."_

True, true. You would then, logically, only need the armor when close to the surface. Kevlar wasn't too heavy, but it would stay under water in some form of makeshift wardrobe if needed.

"_Graphene is also a viable source. It is the lightest material with a reasonable success rate."_

Okay, so light bulletproof material for when close to the surface for whatever reason, and then flexible clothing for when building the underwater cities of the future.

"_Why place flexibility as the main priority?"_

If gills are achievable through sheer willpower alone then humanity will undoubtedly look towards octopi and their highly adaptive way of living. If we can obtain their squishy, boneless likeness then flexible clothes are a must to match.

"_If you are able to choose the features you inherit from the sea life around you not everyone will want to be like an octopus. There are also benefits to be found in predators, urchins, and deep dwelling fish."_

'Nana's Digs' will be revolutionary. They will cater to all species' needs and wants. Stylish as well as practical will be the baseline for all branches, whether they be anemone or shark.

"_Why 'Digs'? I do not see how anything relating to oceanic fashion trends can be tied to digging."_

Dude, how old are you? That term has been around for decades.

"_Ah, another slang term then. I've told you many times before, I have no interest in those short-lived-"_

"Nana! What are you doing?!"

Nana squinted through the torrent of water, blinking rapidly against the sharp sting of freezing raindrops cutting across his face. When he looked up the hood of his raincoat flew back with enough force to choke him and he scrambled to pull it back on.

"Why are you outside in all of this?! Come inside!"

Something yanked on the shoulder of his coat, pulling him into the warm entrance of the building on his right.

"Oh Nana, you're soaked!"

Nana reached up to wipe the water off his face. Soft hands soon joined his, easily tucking the hood out of the way and pushing for the jacket as well. A towel was draped over his head and he used it to start drying himself off gratefully.

"Thanks Aiko," he beamed up at her from beneath the fabric and strands of flyaways.

Aiko shook her head fondly, patting him on the cheek before moving to the counter to get him a warm drink.

"Taking a swim?" Tsuyoshi called out with a grin, eyes twinkling. He set the knife he had been cleaning, wiping his hands on his apron as he walked around the counter.

"I was about to," Nana shrugged, looking down at their dripping clothes. His nose scrunched.

"Wait just a second," Tsuyoshi laughed, ducking through the door to the back.

Nana shifted on his feet awkwardly, grimacing as the chill started seeping into the core of his bones. The harsh wind had been a great distraction from the effects it was having on his body.

Tsuyoshi made it back before Aiko did, a bundle of clothes tucked under his arm. "Kick off your shoes and go change into these. We can't have you catching a cold!"

"Nana!" Aiko called out loudly, her voice reaching them easily even though she was all the way in the back kitchen. "I love you but don't even think of trudging through here! Use the guest bathroom like everyone else!"

"Aw man," Nana sulked. Kicking his shoes away towards the door he pressed his ankles against each other one after the other to roll off his socks without having to bend down. Tiptoeing carefully to avoid making any giant puddles he escaped into the bathrooms along the wall and shuffled into one of the stalls.

The sweat pants were obviously Aiko's, they were way too small to be Tsuyoshi's, but it was surprising how loose they were. Aiko was taller than him so he had to roll up the ends a bit, but Nana's legs were a bit wider thanks to muscle mass (heck _yeah_, he worked hard for those!) so her pants should have been tighter. Maybe she preferred her sleeping clothes to be bigger. The shirt was _huge_. Nana wanted to say it was Tsuyoshi's but it had a brightly colored butterfly on the back and, for whatever the reason, he had an irrational fear of the insects. Aiko's then. Geez, it was like a dress in its own right. It'd fit bigger on Aiko of course, but it'd still be like swimming in fabric.

Rolling up his wet clothes into a ball Nana paused, unsure.

"Nana?" the door creaked. "I brought a bag for your clothes. We can throw them in the wash and they'll be done in the morning."

Nana sent another thank you to the universe in general for gracing the planet with Yamamoto Aiko. Padding out of the stall he grinned at her. She returned the smile and helped stuff the sopping wet clothes into the bag. They walked out to where Tsuyoshi was setting a plate of warm cookies at the bar counter.

"Since you said the morning I assume you want me to stay the night?" Nana looked for his jacket to grab his phone out of. Tsuyoshi tapped it, having retrieved it earlier and placing it at the counter for him.

"Of course," Aiko bustled about. "As if we would let you back out there. Let Lavina and Tsu-chan know you're okay!"

"Kaay," Nana called back, settling into the nearest bar stool. The pretty turquoise cup in front of him smelled like chamomile. Score.

Tsuyoshi sat at the chair next to him, clearly done with prep for the next day. Aiko walked back in seconds later, tucking her hair up into a ponytail to keep it out of the way. Nana finished typing out a message saying he was off to join the fish people, oh no, help, he'd been captured and thrown into a sushi shop. Satisfied he relaxed and the warmth fill him like a sponge.

"Why were you even outside?" Aiko wondered, doing one last look around to make sure everything was in place.

"I was making sure Kouske had actually gotten better instead of just lying to me to get out of 'soup time' and after that, I went to the library. When it started raining it was either run home or spend the night in there. Night time and empty libraries make for horror movie-esque situations so I chose the rain."

"You're as bad as Takeshi," Aiko shook her head despairingly.

"Really?" Nana tilted his head. "What'd he do?"

Tsuyoshi scooted his chair closer, sticky fingers holding a cookie before Nana could so much as blink. Nana gave him the stink eye.

"He tried to go out in this weather," Aiko grabbed the edge of Nana's chair and pulled. It screeched across the ground until there was enough room for her to squeeze in her own seat between the two to stop any potential food fights. "He goes for a run every evening before the sun sets and he thought it would be a good idea to go even if there was enough rain flying around to be considered a typhoon."

"That is some serious determination," Nana pursed his lips, impressed. Sniffling he took another sip, reveling in the tendrils of warmth it created.

"That's what I said!" Tsuyoshi agreed vehemently. "Most kids his age would want to stay inside and play games or hang out with their friends. He wants to work his very best to _be _his very best!"

Aiko smacked his shoulder, nudging the plate away when he reached for another cookie. "Which is all well and good but being around friends is important. And you can't work all the time, you'll go crazy!"

"That's true too," Nana agreed. "Gotta balance that shit."

Aiko side-eyed him warningly. Nana looked away pointedly. Takeshi wasn't even in the room and he had just escaped drowning on land, he should be allowed to curse.

"I would have put it more _delicately_," she stressed, ignoring Nana's complimentary 'cause you're a lady of grace, duh', "but yes. Balance is important. He's just a kid right now, he needs to be able to enjoy that."

"He's fourteen Aiko," Tsuyoshi bumped his shoulder lightly into hers. "He's young, but he's not a kid. This is the time when he starts making decisions for himself."

"This is the time where he is starting to _learn_ what decisions to make," she argued. "We should be encouraging him to make the right ones and exhausting himself every day is not the right one."

Nana blinked. Tapping his feet softly against the wood of the chair he looked around the room at anything that wasn't the couple next to him.

"Even if we don't think it's the right one we should still let him make his own choices. Remember the time your mom-"

"Don't bring my mom into this Tsuyoshi, that is a completely different situation."

"Of course," he placated, reaching for her hand and holding it tenderly, "but it's still true that he probably doesn't want us butting in. He's a smart boy, if he needs help he'll ask for it."

Aiko huffed, lacing their fingers together. "But what if he doesn't realize that he needs it? Or what if he wants help but thinks he doesn't need it so he tries to handle it all on his own?"

"That happens sometimes," he sighed, "and as much as we want to help with everything, we can't. He's his own person, he's going to have times where he wants to do something all by himself even if there are a thousand helping hands reaching out to him. All we can do is be one of those hands, always there if he wants to take it."

'_Damn,'_ Nana thought, taking those words and tucking them away to think about later.

Aiko played with his fingers silently. Tsuyoshi stretched across to grab another cookie, wiggling the digits she held when the brush of her skin against his tickled.

"We can still talk to him," she mumbled.

"Of course we can. If he's in real trouble we can always butt our way in to deal with it."

"Tsuyoshi," Aiko pinched the skin around his thumb in reprimand. "That's the complete opposite of what you just said!"

He laughed, freeing his hand to wrap his arm around her. "Yup! That's the benefits of being a parent."

"You're ridiculous," she shook her head, leaning into him. Grabbing a cookie of her own she looked over and caught Nana's eye.

Nana's smile was hidden in the rim of his cup, but the soft crinkles in the corner of his eyes and the gentle fondness being directed at the two of them made her blush.

"I-I'm sorry Nana," Aiko flailed a bit. "That really isn't something we should have been arguing about. Not with company over."

"Company?" Tsuyoshi stretched even further, his long ass arms hooking around Nana as well and dragging him closer into the now three person hug. "Nana's family! They get it, right Nana?"

Nana melted easily. "I wish everyone would argue like you two."

Tsuyoshi paused, looking thoughtful. "...You want me to hold Mochida-san's hand?"

"No!" Nana shrieked in fear at the same time as Aiko burst into hysterics.

"Yes!" she shrieked, tears quick to pool in the corner of her eyes. "Oh goodness, can you imagine the look on their faces? Especially the husband! W-what was his name? Ei… Eijiro?"

"Eiichi," Tsuyoshi corrected happily, very pleased with himself.

"He might actually pass out!" Aiko covered her face as another peal of laughter shook her slim frame. "A-and Mako! She'd have a conniption!"

"Please don't hold their hands," Nana begged. "They have done nothing to deserve that blessing!" He paused. "Well, except for Kensuke-kun, but I'm still not entirely convinced they are actually related!"

Tsuyoshi rubbed soothing circles into Aikos back as she babbled incoherently into his chest. "Isn't he their son?"

"You can't prove that."

"He looks just like them."

"I went to school with a girl that could have been my twin, looks mean nothing!"

"Stop!" Aiko cried, waving her hands. She was beat red, tears streaming down her smiling face. "P-please, stop! I c-can't breathe!"

Nana grinned. "Sorry Aiko."

Tsuyoshi beamed, kissing the top of her head.

"Mom?" a groggy voice called from the side door. Takeshi peered around the door, hair wild and indented lines across his cheek from whatever he had been laying on.

"T-Takeshi," Aiko hiccuped, hopping up to greet him. "I'm sorry sweetie, did we wake you up?"

He grinned down at her tiredly, scratching at his neck. "Nah. The rain did. Is that Nana?"

Nana waved at him cheerily. "Hey Takeshi-kun."

He waved back lazily. Aiko reached up to brush her hand over the marks on his cheek, tutting under her breath.

"You didn't even change your clothes. Come on, back up you go. Get ready for bed, for real this time, while I get you some fresh sheets."

"Aw, Mom, you don't have to do th-"

"Ah ah!" she pushed at him to get him moving. "No arguments. Go get ready."

"Haha, okay."

The two disappeared and Nana took the chance to drain the last of her tea while Tsuyoshi polished off the cookies.

"If she asks I'm telling her you ate all of those," Nana informed him.

Tsuyoshi brushed off the crumbs from his shirt with wide, innocent eyes. "Ate what? You know, we should get you settled in for the night before Aiko gets back. She's already taking care of one kid after all."

"_Really,"_ Nana sniffed, crossing his arms. "Alright then, I'm definitely telling her."

"I'll make you breakfast~"

"...You win this time."

"Haha, you say that like I've ever lost!"

"No one likes a braggart Tsuyoshi!"

"I wonder why the shop is so popular then?"

Nana grumbled to himself, following after the taller man to the guest room. The next morning, cheeks chipmunk full with food worthy of the gods Nana admitted to eating the entire plate of cookies before going to bed. While Aiko scolded him for filling himself with so much sugar right before going to bed Tsuyoshi slid two sushi rolls onto his plate with a subtle wink. Nana fist bumped him when Aiko's back was turned.

-00-

The moment the bell rang Tsuna shoved all of his things into his bag and booked it for the door. He'd long since foregone using a locker, it took too much time. Precious time.

"Where are you going Tsuna?"

"Hieeee!"

Reborn loomed in front of him, hanging upside down from the ceiling with a rifle aimed at him.

"Trying to leave without me?"

"N-no, of course not!" he lied through his teeth. "I was just… going to see Takeshi and Kyoko-chan! They have clean-up duty in the gym today, I wanted to see if they needed any help!"

Reborn continued pointing the gun at him for one long, terrifying moment before somehow tucking it away and out of sight.

'_How?!'_ Tsuna despaired.

"Well done Tsuna. A good boss always checks on their subordinates."

"They're not my subordinates," he grumbled, readjusting the straps of his backpack. Once Reborn made no motion to attack he started towards the gym. "They're my friends."

"Caring for your subordinates like family is also a good sign for a boss."

"You're not listening to me again!"

Reborn hopped down from the ceiling, landing perfectly on Tsuna's head. Debating on the horrific ramifications of already being used to this Tsuna kept walking.

When they got closer to the gym Tsuna could start to make out voices from inside. It sounded like some of the Kendo members had stayed behind to help. That was nice of them, and now he didn't have to spend a long time cleaning thanks to his last-minute fibbing to avoid death.

"-sure you're not pushing yourself too hard?" Kensuke tucked the broom into the crook of his arm. "If you're tired you can head out man, I've got this."

Tsuna paused, something keeping him from just turning the corner. He didn't want to eavesdrop but what Kensuke said made him hopeful. Other people were noticing how much effort Takeshi was putting in. They cared too.

"Ahaha," the familiar easy-going laughter echoed through the room. "That's really nice of you! Don't worry about it though, I can handle this much. If I can't do this much I won't be of much use in practice, you know?"

"I guess…" Kensuke sounded unsure. "If you're really sure, but if you change your mind that's cool too. It's just sweeping. You've gotta take care of yourself dude."

"I agree with Kensuke-kun," Kyoko's voice sounded softly, concerned. "It's wonderful to see you doing something you love but I never see you at lunch anymore Takeshi-kun. Have you been eating okay?"

"Kyoko-chan, why are you so worried?" Takeshi's voice turned teasing. "Ryohei-senpai works even more than I do!"

"My brother isn't normal," Kyoko responded ruthlessly, voice as casual as discussing the weather. "You shouldn't hold yourself to his standards."

Takeshi laughed even louder.

Tsuna shuffled on his feet. Was now a good time to walk in? Would they know how long he had been standing there?

A flash of color caught his eye, making him look up. Four of the baseball team members were walking out of the school gates, shoving each other playfully.

Tsuna felt a bubble of something unpleasant start to burn in his stomach. Turning on his heel he marched into the gym.

"Tsuna!"

"Oh, Tsuna-kun! What are you doing here?"

"Uh, h-hey, Sawada-san. You're not on clean-up duty today, a-are you?"

"I am," Tsuna nodded, moving to grab his own broom.

Reborn patted Leon, comfortably settled. He'd put on his 'Tsuna's hair camo hat' so no one could see him. As the teens in the gym began cleaning, eventually challenging each other to see who could clean the most the fastest, he observed the tall Yamamoto boy.

'_Interesting.'_

-00-

"I've got it!" Lavina called out when there was a knock at the front door. Nana turned back to opening all the windows on the top floor to air out the house.

Lavina screamed, loud and piercing.

Nana flung herself down the stairs, flying over the steps and hopping off of the wall at the end to roll into the entryway. Flames covered her arms and the bottoms of her feet, ready to launch at whatever threat had appeared.

"Lavina-!"

"Look at you!" Lavina squealed, nearly in tears as she clung to the tall lanky figure in front of her. "You've grown so tall! Oh, you're so handsome, just as much as your father! I can't believe you're here? I'm so happy to see you, what are you doing here?!"

"Whoa, _Hayato?!"_ Nana shook her hands, letting the Flames simmer back beneath her skin as she joined the pair. "Is that you?"

The teen boy smiled sheepishly, a blush held high on his cheekbones. He would have bowed if he wasn't hugging Lavina back so fiercely. "Hello Nana-san, I'm sorry for appearing so suddenly."

"Don't be!" Nana laughed, walked over to pat him on the shoulder welcomingly. She could feel her cheeks already starting to hurt from how big her grin was. "This is the best surprise we could ask for!"

Lavina sobbed a bit, pulling back just enough to hold his face between her hands. "Look at you," she breathed, eyes bright. "How did you get so tall?"

Nana stepped back when she saw Hayato's face crumple a bit. This was a moment they needed, she'd make sure they had it to themselves. She'd make them all something to drink and then come back to pester Lavina about closing the front door.

How long had it been since she saw Hayato in person? A year? His studies (and training, she was sure) got more intensive every year so his own visits dwindled over the years to practically nothing. Lavina's illness was extremely rare, with no real studies done on it so nearly all of her medication was experimental. The side effects weren't always… good. She couldn't leave the city for more than a few days, let alone the country anymore. Not until they figured out what was causing everything. It didn't help that every time Nana would take Tsuna and Kyoya anywhere (Takeshi and Kyoko were able to come less and less over the last few years, but they were busy kids) her condition would almost always grow worse. It was the leading factor for the decision to stop traveling outside of the country and only take smaller, shorter trips to neighboring cities or towns.

Which meant, sadly, that while it had been nearly a year since Nana, Tsuna, Takeshi, and Kyoya (who didn't actually care but still counted) had seen Hayato it had been two and a half for Lavina. The only things they had tying the two together were phone calls and letters. Moreso letters thanks to the time difference.

Nana set the teapot on the stove and pulled out Lavina's favorite tea. She didn't know if Hayato preferred tea over coffee so instead she got to work on the usual hot chocolate she would make for the kids whenever she thought they needed an extra treat. It took longer to make it from scratch but as her father (the first one, from 'before') had always said 'even if it tastes like shit, if it's made from your heart then they'll feel it all the same'.

...Thankfully her hot cocoa tasted pretty good.

While the marshmallows were melting she flipped her phone open and sent a quick text to Tsuna telling him to hurry home that day and to bring Takeshi along. They'd be so excited.

Ten minutes later Lavina walked in with Hayato close behind her. He had a steadying arm wrapped around her shoulders as she took wobbling steps to the table.

"You good?" Nana twisted her head to follow them.

"Yes," she beamed, bright and warm. "Just a little shaky. My heart is still racing."

"I'm sorry Miss Lavina," Hayato frowned, hovering as she settled into the chair. "I should have called ahead."

"This was better," Lavina assured him, tugging him down to sit next to her. "I wasn't expecting you for another week, this was like a dream come true."

Hayato blushed bright once more, eyes darting away in embarrassment. Nana ducked in front of him, cheerfully holding out a mug with a little grumpy faced cartoon cat on the front.

"Relax Hayato-kun, take some time to catch up. I'm going to run to the grocery store really quick and I'll be back in about an hour."

Setting Lavina's usually blue painted teacup in front of her she ducked out before either could protest. Slipping on her shoes Nana nearly skipped the entire way to the store.

They would be having a feast tonight!

-00-

"It was awesome! The other team didn't even stand a chance, Yamamoto knocked it out of the park!"

"Of course he did, it's Yamamoto."

"Right?"

"As long as we've got him I don't think we'll ever lose!"

Tsuna kicked at the same pebble he'd been messing with for the last five minutes. Reborn wasn't shooting at him for some reason so he could finally walk home instead of dead sprinting but he was stuck behind what looked like half the baseball team.

"Wanna go by the arcade?"

"Come on man, we went there every day last week, let's try something new!"

"We could do a movie?"

"I'm broke dude. Try again."

He'd invited Takeshi over to his house, like Mom had asked (why did she want him to hurry?) but he'd been turned down.

'Ahaha, sorry Tsuna but we've got a match this weekend. I can't afford to miss out on training! Some other time, yeah?'

Brown eyes trailed up to the backs of the boys pushing each other around playfully ahead of him. He frowned, eyes darting back to the rock.

"Baby Omnivore."

Squeaking a bit Tsuna side skipped away from the taller boy that had appeared at his side.

"Kyo-kun, please stop sneaking up on me."

"Hn." Kyoya nearly rolled his eyes. "Mother has returned home. Father no longer needs the Omnivore. Tell them."

"Um, okay. Did your mom have fun, wherever she went?"

Kyoya blinked slowly.

Okay then. So he both did not know and did not care.

"I'll tell him," Tsuna shifted the straps of his backpacks, eyes riveted downwards still. Kyoya was unnaturally bright that day and he was already starting to develop a headache.

Kyoya frowned, eyes sliding over to the group of boys turning the corner ahead of them. "...Sunglasses."

"Huh?" Tsuna looked up. "Oh. I didn't bring them today. I forgot."

It was impossible to remember really. With Reborn chasing him out of the house with what looked like a rocket launcher they had been the last thing on his mind.

"Did you forget the tall Herbivore as well?"

"Haha," Tsuna laughed awkwardly, scratching at the back of his neck. "No, he's just busy. He said the baseball team had a game coming up so he had to practice."

Kyoya snorted unkindly, eyeing where the team members had disappeared.

"They didn't have an actual practice scheduled today, I think," he mumbled, halfheartedly sticking up for them.

"They are weak."

Tsuna kicked the rock at a weird angle, causing it to spiral off into the street. He sighed, hanging his head. "Takeshi's just really passionate. He doesn't want to let anyone down. He's too nice to do that."

"Kindness makes others weak."

Tsuna frowned. Looking up at Kyoya he noticed the sharp spike of irritation in the purple waves around him. "What do you-"

"Let the Omnivore know." Repeating the order Kyoya turned away and walked down the opposite street.

Tsuna stood there for a moment, confounded, before trudging the rest of the way home.

Today sucked.

-00-

"Tsuna!"

"Hayato?!"

Nana looked out the window as the silver-haired teen descended on his son. Tsuna was wrapped in what could only be classified as a bear hug for all of two seconds before Hayato threw himself backward with a face as red as the strawberries Nana had planted a few days ago.

"I-I am so sorry Tsuna, I wasn't thinking. Please, forgive me."

"Forgive you?" Tsuna looked confused but he couldn't stop the brilliant smile that was carved into his face. Holding his arms out he paused, struck by his own embarrassment, but managed to keep them up despite how his shoulders started to curl in on himself. "I missed you too, you know."

Hayato looked like he had been given a puppy. He swooped in once again, gleefully hugging his friend.

Nana snapped a photo on his phone. It got a bunch of flour everywhere but it was totally worth it. Lavina had gone to take a nap and she would not have wanted to miss this.

His phone rang.

Nana jumped, not expecting the sudden sound. Tapping the answer button he tucked the phone between his cheek and shoulder and got back to work. The boys stayed outside but he tuned them out. That was their moment.

"Hello?"

"Hey sweetie."

"Dad!" Nana grinned. With his free arm he started using his elbow to squish and morph the dough. "What's up?"

"Much of the same," his voice made tension Nana hadn't even realized had been there lift off his shoulders. "I have a lot to do before I retire. I have to make sure all these new kids know what to do in case anything happens."

"I"m sure they'll be fine Dad, they've got you teaching them."

"I hope so," he laughed a bit. "I know I just said I was still pretty busy but do you happen to have any free time over the next week?"

"Uh," Nana ticked off the days mentally. "Hold on." Patting his hands over his apron he walked over to the table with his planner. Using the edge of his fingertips to hopefully prevent a mess he flipped through the pages. "Nothing much. Why?"

"Well, two reasons really." The sound of a microwave going off sounded in the background. "The top reason being I miss you and Tsuna. I'd love a visit whenever you can squeeze one in."

Nana laughed, moving back to the dough. "Of course Dad, you know we're always happy to drop by. This would be great timing too! Hayato came to stay with us for a couple of weeks and it would give him and Lavina some time to catch up. Would you mind if I bring the boys and Kyoko-chan?"

"That would be wonderful, those three always liven things up around here."

"_That is an understatement,"_ Snake chimed in drolly. Nana snorted.

"Cool. I can probably get us some tickets out tomorrow. Oh, you said there was another reason right?"

"Hanazawa-san was wondering if she could have a word with you."

Nana felt his eyebrow lift. "That's always good. Did she say about what?"

"She said she wanted to ask you for advice about her grandson. She thinks that someone closer to his age will be able to explain what he's thinking better."

"Ooookay. Weird." Nana flipped the dough, adding some more flour. "I can give it shot though. Tell her we'll be in town soon then."

"I'm sure she'll be happy. Thank you, Nana."

Nana smiled. "You don't have to thank me Dad."

"If someone does something kind for you-"

"Thank them," Nana finished. "I know Dad, but this isn't me just being kind. I miss you too."

"...Well, I'll make sure everything is ready. Tomorrow night right? You're sure that's not too fast?"

"It's the start of the weekend. It's best that Tsuna not miss too much school, but he needs a break. We can come back on Tuesday."

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow then," he sounded excited. "I love you Nana."

"I love you too Dad. See you tomorrow."

"See you then."

Nana closed his phone and leaned over to put it far away from the mess he was making. He cursed when his fingers slipped, dropping it. Before it could land in the pile of flour he had made earlier a tiny hand saved it and moved it to on top of the bread box.

"This is a lot of food," Reborn looked over the hefty amount of dough, the trays already in the oven, and the empty bowls and pans in the sink.

"Thanks," Nana nodded towards his phone. "All this is for a celebration! Hayato came early so we're going to celebrate tonight. We've got reservations next week at the Sushi shop for everyone but this will do for now. We'll have two celebrations!"

Reborn's eyes glinted, narrowing in on the nearest bowl with the remains of some kind of batter. Dipping his finger into it he taste-tested.

"Is this coffee flavored?" he reached out for a second taste.

"Yup," Nana pulled off tiny pieces of well-formed dough and began to shape them. "That one's for you and me. The other one is this weird green tea cake that I think is gross but everyone else likes. You can have some of that too if you want."

"Thank you."

Nana laughed at his smug little smile. He grinned even brighter when he heard the sink turn on and the dishes start to move around.

"That is seriously saving me some time. Thanks."

"I want another cake."

"You haven't even eaten the first one!"

-00-

Tsuna was practically vibrating with energy. It hadn't actually been that long since the last trip they had taken, but it felt like it had been years. Everyone was always so busy nowadays. It would be nice to have time to hang out and catch up on everything.

Kyoko had already slipped out with Hana when the bell rung, she had left something at the other girl's house the other day. He'd catch them at the gate.

Takeshi was at his desk.

"T-Takeshi!" Tsuna called loudly, stumbling over his own tongue in his excitement.

"Hm?" he looked up and grinned. "What's up Tsuna? You look really happy today."

"R-really?" he blushed, lips wobbling in a happy little smile. "I guess so. Um, Dad and I are going to go visit Grandpa. He- I mean we wanted to know if you could go with us? Dad called your parents this morning and they said they'd be okay with it as long as you were."

The grin on Takeshi's face froze. Slowly he brought his hand up to scratch at the back of his neck. "...Haha, I don't know if I can Tsuna. We've got a competition coming up and I'm not really ready for it yet."

Tsuna could feel the coil of tension form, twisting his muscles inwards. "N-not ready?" he smiled shakily. "Takeshi, you're already amazing at baseball. You've been pushing yourself really hard too, don't you think you deserve a break?"

"That's really nice of you to say," his smile quirked up a bit more genuinely. "But we've got a practice match on Monday after school. I can't miss it."

"Oh," Tsuna looked down, arms folding over his stomach. Shaking his head he straightened out with a small smile. "That's okay, I know how important baseball is to you. I'll let Dad know."

Takeshi was frowning, eyebrows furrowed. "I-" he paused, looking conflicted. "I'm sorry Tsuna."

"Don't be sorry," Tsuna waved his hands frantically. "It's normal to have things come up in life, don't feel bad just because you can't make it to one trip. It's only for a few days anyway, you won't miss much."

"Mh," Takeshi grunted, still looking unsure.

Tsuna scrambled for a way to salvage the situation. What had he been thinking? He knew how busy his friend was, of _course_ he would have to turn down the invitation. He should have just told Dad Takeshi couldn't make it. "H-how about we call each other? After the practice match! You can tell me how it went and I can fill you in on everything you missed!"

He didn't dare to tell him about Hayato now. It would only make him feel even worse about being busy, and then he'd be even more tired. If he couldn't find time to come see Hayato is would really upset him. It would be better for everyone if he could find an open time for everyone first, before mentioning anything.

Takeshi's lips twisted oddly before pulling into a grin. "That's a good idea Tsuna. Let's do that. Kyoko-chan said she'd be there with her brother so we can all talk. It'll be like we're hanging out!"

"Y-yeah," Tsuna cheered weakly.

"Haha," Takeshi laughed brightly as though the awkwardness from before had never happened. "Sounds like a plan then! I've gotta get to practice but I'll come see you guys off later, okay? Let me know before you leave!"

"I will," he waved. "Bye Takeshi."

"Later!"

Tsuna let his hand fall as soon as the other boy was out of sight. Taking a long, deep breath he started to walk home.

"Ready for the practice match?"

Tsuna flinched, ducking his head even further and walking faster towards the gate. If he just ignored them…

"It's just a practice match man, we'll be fine. We should be focusing on the competition!"

"You guys are idiots. As long as we've got Yamamoto we've got the match _and _the competition in the bag."

They were all in the way of the gate. He'd have to walk around.

"You're right. Man, I can't even imagine what would happen without him you know? He's won us, like, eighty percent of our games I swear."

"You think we could make it all the way to Koshien this year? We're not a top school or anything but we might really have a shot this time!"

"With Yamamoto on our side, it might actually happen."

"Oh shit, dude you're right. That's going to be amazing! Man, can you believe-"

"S-stop relying on Takeshi so much!"

It took Tsuna a good, solid minute to realize the words had come from his own mouth.

"It's because you keep pushing all of the responsibilities on him that he feels like he has to try so hard!" Oh no. "He's out there, exhausting himself every day because you sit here and tell him that without him you'd lose all the time! Why aren't you out there running?" Stop talking! "Why don't I see you at practice every day _especially_ when you're actually scheduled to? Baseball is supposed to be a team sport but the only one I see that actually _cares_ is Takeshi!" He'll be upset with you, mind your own business Tsuna! "If you don't love baseball then why are you even on the team?! If the only way you can enjoy the game is by making someone else do all of the work for you then- t-then you should just quit!"

By the time he got control over his traitorous mouth, it was too late. Not only was the majority of the baseball team staring at him but so was every other student that had been milling about. Tsuna was already breathing hard from his outburst but now the added weight of attention was making him start to shake. Shrinking in on himself he looked around, frantic.

"Tsuna-kun?"

Oh God.

Kyoko looked at him, one hand raised towards him. Her face was crumpled into one of concern. The usually yellow/lavender mixed colors around her spiked and wavered in ways they usually never did.

He'd upset her. She'd tell Takeshi what happened. He'd be upset too.

Biting into his lip harshly Tsuna whipped around, away from them all.

He ran the entire way home, even without bullets chasing his heels.

Dad asked him if the others could make it. He'd completely forgotten to ask Kyo-kun but he also knew he was busy with the Disciplinary Committee. He said none of them could make it.

When Dad asked why he seemed so upset he lied. He curled his pinkies together, frowned, then unlinked them. He said he was just a little bummed to be missing the game on Monday.

He didn't tell Takeshi they were leaving.

Hayato seemed suspicious but he didn't pry. Tsuna hugged him goodbye, holding on longer than he normally would have. Hayato would be upset too. He didn't tell anyone he had come early. He'd kept it a secret.

He was a liar.

When they got on the plane, he wished they'd never have to come back. Not if it meant losing his friends.

-00-

Nana looked up from his book when something landed on his shoulder. Tsuna was asleep, breathing softly. Carefully, so not to wake him, Nana put his book away and pulled out the blanket he always packed on flights (he always got cold easily and icicle toes were uncomfortable as heck). Tucking it around the two of them he looked to his other side at Reborn who was perfectly content to look out the window.

"I have the list ready," the baby looked over, as though he had been waiting for Tsuna to fall asleep.

"Yeah?" Nana whispered, brushing some hair out of his face. Something had happened early, at school. Tsuna had looked distraught, but when Nana had asked him what was wrong...

If Tsuna lied it was for a reason. He'd have to learn a bit more before approaching him, or else he might make it worse.

Reborn reached into his suit and pulled out a file. Nana blinked rapidly.

"Where the heck did you get that?"

Reborn ignored him. Handing over the folder he relaxed again. "Do these names look familiar?"

Nana squinted at him but opened it nonetheless. He scanned over them. "I recognize some of these pretty well." Most of the names he remembered from school but only a handful of them could be counted on as more than a passing acquaintance. He frowned softly at some of the names. Before he had realized exactly how many of his schoolmates had ties to the mafia it had scared him a bit, how many seemed to die so young. Seven of the surnames on the list were of girls he had attended funerals for.

Yet another reason to change things.

Growing more determined he flipped the page over.

"Hanazawa?" Nana blinked, shaking his head. Reading the name over again, just to double check, he looked up at Reborn. "You said these are all people I have ties to."

"These are names of people connected to Famiglias you need."

"Is this-" Nana flicked the paper out, tapping the name harshly, "Hanazawa-san's grandson?"

"No."

"Oh," he sagged a bit in relief. "Good. I was about to say, all of this was starting to be creepily coinciden-"

"It's his husband."

**-00-**

**Review Responses:**

**Frozen teen: **Ohhhh, nice ideas friend! I love all of them and some of them are already going to be a thing so good thinking! I hadn't even thought of incorporating Nana's mom further in the story but now you've put the idea in my head. Sweet! Sky harmonizing can totally be a thing but them flames gotta be fixed first. And thank you for reminding me that Shamal will make a totally rational explanation for why Nana's flames are the way they are. I'd forgotten that he is totally a dude that would notice that stuff. Bullet dodged and plans are formulating! Thanks for the ideas friendo!

**ACasualPotato:** *Concerned noises* ...You okay there friend?


	13. A Helping Hand

**Toshi is a big ol' Marshmellow**

**Hanazawa is a therapist. A grumpy, sweet old therapist.**

**Tsuna thinks about things.**

**Tsuna panics**

**Takeshi panics**

**Aiko panics**

**Nana panics so much they pass out**

**Hibari**

**-00-**

A Helping Hand

**-00-**

"Nana! Tsuna!"

"Dad!"

Nana beamed as Toshi enveloped him in a hug, arms easily wrapping around him. The familiar smell of mint and ink made him relax further into the embrace. It felt like coming home.

"There you are," Toshi breathed in happily, resting his cheek on Nana's head. "Have you gotten taller?"

Nana snorted, pulling away so Tsuna could get his hug. "Dad, please. I'm thirty-four. I'm pretty sure I'm done growing."

"Ah, yes," Toshi nearly picked Tsuna up with his hug. "Your right, then it must be Tsuna! You at least have gotten taller."

Nana rolled his eyes. So what if he was small?

...Damn, he wished he were taller.

"Oh, hello there! Who is this?"

Nana and Tsuna both paled when Toshi bent down, knees creaking, to talk to Reborn.

"I am Reborn, Tsuna's-"

"Roommate!" Nana shouted, scooping Reborn up and praying the small toddler wouldn't shoot him. "He's Tsuna's roommate. His parents are, uh, traveling. Right Tsu-kun?"

"Y-yeah," he agreed shakily. Dad probably didn't want Grandpa to know he had hired a baby to teach his son, but Tsuna didn't want Grandpa knowing a trained killer was staying with them. "It's... so much fun."

Toshi nodded, taking their piss poor acting at face value. "That's very kind of you Nana. I'm glad to see you get along with him so well Tsuna!"

"Haha," they both laughed robotically.

"Let's get the three of you settled in then! I made a lot of food this morning so we can have a meal together as soon as we get home."

"...You cooked it, Dad?"

"I'll have you know I've been practicing! I make a mean pasta dish now. Everyone at work loves it."

Nana huffed out a fond laugh. "That's great Dad. If it's edible then I can't wait to try it! Maybe you can give Tsu-kun some tips."

"Oh, are you interested in cooking Tsuna? I'd be happy to share what I know but I think Nana has pretty much everyone beat."

Nana preened under the compliment.

"Three cups of espresso or I won't forgive this," Reborn spoke softly up to him, tapping his arms lightly.

"Uh-huh," Nana sweated a bit. At least it was a cheap price.

-00-

"Nana," Hanazawa greeted him warmly. "Come in, come in. I'm glad you could make it. Do you want anything to eat? To drink?"

Nana looked over at the bar running along the wall that had not been there before. He frowned when Hanazawa used it to walk down the hall but wiped the expression away when she turned to make sure he closed the door.

"I'm good, thanks though. Tsuna and I ate before I came over."

"Is he not with you?" she looked back as though to double check.

"No, I thought you might want to talk privately."

She nodded, wobbling through the kitchen towards the sitting room. Nana glanced over the line of orange bottles next to the sink, heart clenching.

"That is very considerate of you. Thank you for coming so quickly."

"I was curious about why you needed me," Nana shrugged. "And why you didn't just call me yourself. Is everything okay with Ryu?"

"Ryu?" Hanazawa blinked, face breaking. "What do- I can't- Oh."

Nana scrambled to support her when her legs collapsed underneath her. "Hanazawa-san?! What's wrong?!"

Leading her towards the living room chair Nana helped her sit down slowly. Once she was fully seated she shook her head.

"I-I'm sorry Nana. You caught me by surprise. I didn't ask you here about Ryu."

"Hanazawa-san," Nana stressed, hands hovering over her worriedly. "Are you okay? Is- is Ryu okay?"

"I don't know," she huffed, waving him away and motioning for him to take a seat. Nana obliged, hesitant to leave her side. "That boy, he's always getting into trouble. If Shouto-kun weren't with him who knows what he would get up to."

"Shouto…" Nana trailed off. "His husband?"

"Yes," Hanazawa breathed deeply, her trembling subsiding. "He's a good boy, even if his father was a waste of the world's resources. If Shouto-kun could have been born without that man around then I don't think the world would have even bothered letting him exist."

"Ah," Nana nodded, eyes wide at the harsh insult. "Okay. Sure."

Hanazawa sighed. "I'm sorry Nana, that was rude of me. I'm simply worried about the two of them."

"Well," Nana scratched at his cheek uncertainly. He'd never seen the elderly woman so worked up before. "I might not be able to help much, but I can be a listening ear at least. If you want."

She squinted at him, lines of age making her expression even more stern over the years. "...I suppose it might do _me_ some good. Even if it is none of your business."

"Didn't need that last part," Nana smiled chirpily.

Hanazawa twisted her hands together, the leathery folds of her skin brushing dryly against one another. "...I think they've gotten themselves into trouble."

"Trouble?"

Hanazawa gave him the stink eye. "You should not interrupt someone when they are talking."

"Sorry, sorry," he lifted his hands.

"I _think_ they are in some form of trouble," she continued pointedly. "Ryu writes as often as he can, and I occasionally get a letter from Shouto-kun as well, but lately their responses have been… strained. Ryu hasn't been sleeping well and he mentioned that Shouto-kun has been going several nights without sleep himself. Shouto-kun's letters aren't any better. He comes from a… wealthy family, and with wealth comes enemies. Ryu said... well, he said that he felt like he was being watched lately. I am concerned that some of Shouto-kun's... enemies will come after him."

'_Crazy mafia enemies,'_ Nana added to himself. Whatever trouble Shouto was in was most likely tied in with his 'family's' shady criminal ties.

"Either they are being targeted," Hanazawa spoke faster, shoulders tensing up, "or they are both pushing themselves so far they are going to be sick. I want to tell them to run away somewhere, even if just for a short while, but I don't know as much about the world as I used to. It's been forever since I traveled, how am I to know where is safe anymore? I just- I just want them both to be safe. And happy. Perhaps if they got away from it all for a bit they could both just- just think things through. Come up with a plan to make things better. Shouto-kun is always good with plans, and Ryu is very skilled at so many things, I'm sure they could come up with something if they just had the time.

"They could come to Namimori for a little while," Nana offered, reaching forward to take the elderly woman's hand in his own when her trembling returned. "They can rent a place or stay with us for however long they need."

Hanazawa sniffed, dabbing at her tears with a rose embroidered handkerchief. "Your own home? Nana, you can not just offer your hospitality to strangers like that."

Nana snorted a bit. "They won't be strangers. I may have never met your grandson personally, but you've told me enough about him to give me a pretty good idea. And besides your usual nitpicking, you seem to have a high opinion of Shouto too. Besides, you're family Hanazawa-san, which means they are too. Family helps each other."

"_I suppose it also helps that you don't have to leave Tsuna to speak with them if they come to you."_

...That _might _have been one of the reasons, but only a small one! He truly wanted to help Hanazawa-san, and if this was the way to do it then he would do so happily.

Hanazawa blinked rapidly, squeezing Nana's hands back. "...I remember the first day I met you."

Nana gave an awkward, lilting chuckle. "I do too. Sorry about that."

The older woman laughed warmly, patting his hands with all the fondness of a grandmother. "Don't be darling. If a little bit of mud on my favorite dress means having you in my life then I would roll on the ground every time it rained."

"Ah ha," Nana laughed again, the sound more watery than before. For a woman like Hanazawa Keiko, who collected fans and handkerchiefs like a child would trading cards, and thought exemplary etiquette was required in _every _situation no matter the circumstance to be willing to throw herself into the mud just for the chance to meet _him_…

"Nana," she let go, reaching down next to her chair to grab the small wooden box that had been resting next to it. "I did not call you here to complain about my problems, or to ask you to find a solution to my family's troubles. It warms my heart that you did, and it only makes me that much more sure of my decision."

As his brow furrowed in confusion Nana tilted his head to see the box better. It was a little bigger than the palm of his hand with a tiny silver clasp on the front. It looked completely ordinary and very simplistic.

Hanazawa looked at it like it was her greatest treasure.

"I am old," she said with a wry twist of her lips. "Soon I will leave this world behind, but before I go I want to make sure that it will be okay without me."

Nana wanted to disagree, to offer some form of comfort, but he couldn't deny the truth. Hanazawa was ninety-eight and while she maintained her mind very well for her age it was clear her body was starting to fail her. Large amounts of medicine lining the kitchen sink, a handlebar along the walls to help her walk, a wheelchair pushed into the corner, and even the way her hands trembled as she brushed them delicately over the wooden lid made it clear that her story was starting to reach its end.

"Ryu will be okay," Hanazawa smiled, eyes reflecting the peace she felt within. "He has Shouto-kun, and soon, thanks to your kindness, he will have you as well. I have made sure that he will be supported and cared for, for as long as he lives. My daughter waits for me to join her and I can not wait to tell her how her child has grown. How good his heart has stayed through all the trials he has faced."

Nana had only ever heard about Hanazawa's daughter once, a year after she had died. It had been a freak fire incident and they had only been able to get Ryu, who had been playing in his room on the main floor, out in time. The father's body had been found in the basement of their home next to the boiler room where the fire had started. It had been when Nana was fifteen and still away at boarding school. He had never tried to ask Hanazawa about it, even if he had been curious about why Ryu had not come to stay with her.

Losing a family member was… painful. Hanazawa didn't need anyone poking their nose in, especially while she was trying to reconnect with the only surviving member she had left.

"The only one I still had concerns about," she sighed, "was you."

"Me?" Nana wondered. "I'm fine though. I have a home, friends who care for me, a family that loves me, and Tsuna is everything I could ever ask for. You don't have to worry about me Hanazawa-san, I'll be okay."

"You also have a mysterious ex-husband you refuse to say anything about, which is quite odd coming from you, as well as a penchant for throwing yourself into trouble at the slightest provocation."

"Well, I don't _like_ getting into trouble-"

"No, but you always feel the need to fix it," she drawled, unimpressed. "And while that is admirable it is also very worrying for those around you as well as rude. You should not poke your nose into other people's business."

Nana crossed his arms, nose scrunching up.

Hanazawa looked at the very familiar expression and smiled, a little bit sad. "I will miss your rudeness."

"Hanazawa-san…"

"Well," she sniffed, dabbing at her eyes delicately. "Enough of that, I should think. I asked you here for an important reason."

"Okay," Nana nodded, sadness blanketing his face. "Whatever you need."

"I didn't call for you because I needed you, silly thing," Hanazawa corrected. "I called for you because I have something to give you."

"Mh."

Hanazawa looked at him down the bridge of her nose. "None of that moping. My time was spent exactly how it needed to be and I am happy with how it is ending."

Nana smiled, slow and soft. "That's good then."

"It is," she sniffed, lifting the lid to the box. "Now, you might not think much of this, but it is very important to me so make sure to treat it with respect, understand?"

Nana tilted his head when she grabbed his hand and placed the broach on his palm. It was small, no bigger than his thumbnail, but intricately carved. It had a silver bird with graceful wings stretched in flight holding up a shield.

"This is gorgeous," he breathed, brushing his fingers over the smooth metal.

"A very long time ago," Hanazawa sighed nostaligly, "this was the crest of a noble family."

"Really?" Nana looked up at her with side eyes. "Your family used to be nobles?"

She nodded, turning to look out the window at something only she could see. "My family line is small now. Ryu is the last of us left, and I do believe he will always be the last. At least by blood."

Nana flashed back to the times when Hanazawa would complain about her grandson not getting married and having kids yet. How upset she had been.

"Everything comes to an end eventually," she looked down at the broach in his hands. "But just because it ends does not mean the actions taken to get there disappear. We may be very small now, but that broach is still a sign to some."

Nana brushed his thumb over it once more. "A sign of what?"

"Trust. Intention." Hanazawa set the box down, arms trembling. "My family helped many people, many times. A great deal of those deeds are remembered, and if you have that then they will offer their help if you need it."

"Hanazawa-san," Nana breathed, eyes wide. "Why… why are you giving this to _me?_ I might never need this, but your grandson might and-"

"Ryu," Hanazawa cut him off, "has his own. As does Shouto-kun. Each member of our family has one to give and one to keep. Even if he didn't have one, I would still choose you. You are the only reason I could talk to Ryu. I didn't understand him. I didn't even know how to start. I was so upset at the time, when I realized our family line would be ending, that I pushed aside what would make him happy, what would make him complete. I hurt him, but thanks to you and your _ridiculous_ ability to get under my skin no matter what you say or do I was able to see a way to try. You are the reason I can die happy, Nana."

"I-I didn't," Nana shook his head, eyes burning.

Hanazawa reached out, holding his hand and curling his fingers over the broach. "You showed me that being different is beautiful."

"_There's nothing wrong with being different," his sister smiled, wiping away his tears as they hid away in the closet of the twin's room. "Everyone is different, that's what makes people beautiful."_

Nana sobbed. Hanazawa lifted her hand to his cheek to wipe away the tears pouring from them.

"What did I say about moping?" she sniffed.

Nana placed his hand over hers, leaning into the touch and crying harder.

"T-thank you," he stuttered out.

"Well," her voice warbled. "At least you remember one of my lessons."

-00-

Tsuna uncrossed and crossed his ankles, over and over. The clacking of Hanazawa-san's knitting needles was the only sound in the room and he timed his legs to the rhythm. Dad had come back with puffy red eyes. He told Tsuna he had to make a few calls to set some things up and that he should go see Hanazawa-san while he did so. Reborn had stayed behind too, so he could actually relax for once.

Hanazawa-san had him sit down by the bookshelf and started knitting as she always did when he was over. They didn't usually talk too much. Tsuna liked how her house smelled, and the sound of her knitting was hypnotic. Usually, she would just ask how he was, how school was going, and then get to work. He would get his homework out, or a picture book, and just… be there. It was nice.

"How is school, Tsunayoshi-kun?"

Tsuna blinked, glancing up at her. She hadn't stopped knitting, gaze focused purely on her hands.

"I-it's okay. I've been getting better scores lately."

"That's good," she hummed. "Nana mentioned a home tutor. They must be helping."

Tsuna laughed, strained and sarcastic.

"What about your friends?"

"Huh?" Tsuna froze. She never asked about his friends. "W-what do you mean?"

Steely eyes finally met his, one eyebrow raised. "You always have at least one of your little group tagging along with you. Nana said it was just the two of you this time. They seemed concerned."

Tsuna wilted. Dad had noticed. He'd lied to Dad too.

"Ah, so an argument then."

"What?" Tsuna shook his head. "N-no, we didn't fight!"

Hanazawa leveled him with a look that had his voice dropping in octave immediately.

"I-it wasn't a fight," he said softer. "I just… I messed up."

"You are Nana's son."

She'd said it so flippantly; like it was only to be expected.

"No," he disagreed. "Dad doesn't mess up like this. This is different."

"How so?"

Tsuna frowned, looking away.

"You did something to upset them."

"How did you-?"

Hanazawa finished the last loop and set her needles aside. "If it was the fault of another you wouldn't hesitate to ask Nana for help. Children only hide things from their parents when they are afraid of their parent's reaction."

Tsuna felt the tips of his ears burn in shame.

"Tsunayoshi."

He flinched. When he looked up Hanazawa patted the couch cushion next to her. Slowly, like dragging his feet through cement, he stood and joined her. Digging through her knitting basket she pulled out the scarf he had been working on the last time he had come to visit. It had holes everywhere, and it didn't look very good, but she hadn't let him start over. She'd said that once you start something you can't start over, so you finish what you have and then start something new.

Taking the cold metal poles into his own hands he fumbled through the steps obediently.

"What happened?" she asked softly, starting on her own project once more.

"...I yelled at Takeshi's friends."

"The Mochida boy?"

"No. The baseball team. They were talking about how good Takeshi was at baseball and I… I told them to quit the team."

"Well now, I doubt that's all there is to it."

Maybe it was the relaxing atmosphere, or maybe it was the fact that while he was close to Hanazawa-san she wasn't as connected to his friends as Dad and Lavina-obasan were so it felt like it wouldn't affect them if he told her. Either way, Tsuna explained what happened. About the weeks leading up to his mistake and how Kyoko-chan had seen him. How he had been too afraid to face anyone afterward, afraid of what they would think.

"I...I thought Takeshi would be mad at me for butting in."

"He might have," Hanazawa nodded.

Tsuna whined a bit, shrinking in on himself.

"Did you mean what you said? To those boys?"

"I didn't mean to say that."

"No, but you did. That's not what I asked. Did you _mean_ what you said."

Tsuna clenched his teeth so hard they grated against each other. "...Yes."

"Then let it go."

He got through one horrible, crooked row before he felt calm enough to speak. "I don't think I can."

"You can, and you will," she sounded sure. "If those words came from a place of concern for your friend then you shouldn't regret them. Even if that friend does not appreciate it."

"I-," he choked on the words. "I don't want him to hate me."

"Of course not," she unraveled more yarn to work with, "you two are very close. It would hurt a lot to lose him over something as silly as this."

Tsuna didn't even want to imagine what life would be like without Takeshi in it.

"Tsunayoshi," she called softly, voice croaking with age. "You will always lose people in your life. Either through someone's choice or through unforeseeable circumstances your relationships with people will change for better or worse." Her eyes drifted over to the set of photos on the wall across from them. She focused on the one of a small girl, smiling brightly with a tooth missing and cat cradled in her arms.

"I don't _want _to lose them."

"Then don't run away," she matched his small cry with soft calmness. Blanketing the soft edges of his words with comfort. "There are some things you simply can't stop, but this is not one of them. So long as you can still speak to him, then I see no reason why you shouldn't try. Even if he does not understand, do not give up. You were trying to help him. If he didn't like how you did it then he will tell you. Take his opinion into consideration, but do not give up your own if you truly believe in it. Speak to each other until you can find a common ground to exist upon and go from there."

Tsuna sniffed, hunching over his needles. "...What if he doesn't want to talk?"

"You have very little faith in Takeshi-kun," she noted. Tsuna looked like she'd insulted his core beliefs in the world. "I have only met Takeshi-kun a few times and even I know that if he were upset with you he would hear you out. He cares for you just as much as you care for him."

Tsuna blinked rapidly, swallowing heavily.

Hanazawa looked at him, warm and stern at the same time. "You are allowing your own insecurities to paint those around you in very unflattering colors, Tsunayoshi. Do you really think Takeshi-kun would yell at someone for trying to stick up for him?"

...No. He didn't. Takeshi was one of the most understanding, empathetic people he knew. It was why he tried so hard to meet the baseball team's expectations in the first place.

"Self-doubt is in the hearts of everyone," Hanazawa looked over her steadily forming sweater with a discerning eye. "It can make you try harder and turn you into a better person, but only if you use it as self-_awareness_. Takeshi-kun might be mad at you. There were probably better ways, or at the very least better times, to handle that situation. Talking to Takeshi-kun himself, for example, before his team. Lying to Nana was also a mistake. You could have told them you didn't want to invite the others because you wanted time away from them. That is a completely reasonable request that Nana would have undoubtedly honored, don't you think?"

...Dad would have been worried but he wouldn't have minded. He loved trips with just Tsuna and him.

"When you allow your self-doubts to turn those around you against you, in your own mind, you are doing a disservice to the people who love you. You are running away."

Tsuna wiped at his eyes, hiccuping. "I lied to all of them."

"So?" she sniffed haughtily. "You can either tell them the truth later or tell them it was personal. The only ones that have any connection to all of this are the baseball team boys, who you yelled at, and Takeshi-kun, who you yelled at them _for_. Anyone outside of that, even Nana, is unrelated. It's none of their business."

"But Dad will be worried and-"

"That's their problem," Hanazawa said mercilessly. "Nana can try to help you as much as they possibly can, but in the end, it is up to you to decide what to do in your life. What choices to make. I worry about Nana all the time, but if it doesn't concern me then it's none of my business. I can offer whatever help I have and if they take it then good. I help. If you think they are getting hurt, then you do what you can but if you find that the only way to help them is to force your way in then be prepared for the consequences. Think about whether those consequences are worth it, because if you force them to make a choice they don't want you might lose them, even if it saves them."

Tsuna thought of dark circles and dim smiles.

"Takeshi was getting hurt."

"Then offer to help. Talk to him."

"...Okay."

"Five more rows and you should be done," she looked over his work. "You are getting better."

"Thanks. I like it. It keeps me busy."

"It does," she agreed.

They lapsed into silence, and even though Tsuna thought she would say more she just kept knitting. He managed to finish the scarf before he left. He even started a new one. A dark blue one, that was soft to the touch and warm.

-00-

"Parenting is hard," Nana sulked, flopping over the kitchen table.

Toshi laughed, bending down to kiss the top of his head. "Yes. It is."

-00-

The next few days passed by quickly. Nana spent most of the time hanging out with Toshi or discussing things with Reborn. She visited Hanazawa-san every day, even if only to have tea on the porch. It was the one time she would force herself to drink the weird Chamomile mixture the woman assured her would cure stress. Nana wanted to call bullshit on that, it was probably just taking a _break_ that made her feel so light, but Hanazawa just gave her a knowing look and kept sneaking teabags into her pockets when she left.

She hadn't spoken to Tsuna very much. When he had gotten back from Hanazawa's house that first day he had told her that he lied when he said his friends couldn't make it. He just didn't want them to come this time and he left it at that.

Nana had accepted that well enough (he'd looked like the weight of the world had fallen off his shoulders when she ran a hand through his hair and told him that was fine, just let her know that next time instead of freaking out about it). She'd worried a bit when he said he'd done something wrong to Takeshi but he told her he had it taken care of so she left him to it. She'd find balls of yarn littered throughout her Dad's house and would usually find Tsuna making something when he wasn't at Hanazawa's house.

"Let the boy have his time to think," she'd advised, not-so-subtly tucking another teabag into the pocket of Nana's jacket. "Everyone needs time to think."

Nana took the advice, especially since Tsuna was looking much more content every time he joined them for meals.

Their mini-vacation was exactly what Nana needed to start setting some things into motion. With Tsuna focused on his projects or out of the house and her Dad at work Nana could start forming a solid plan of action with Reborn. Meeting Ryu and Shouto would be a good test of the waters. Then, in just a couple of months, there was an Alumni event at her old school. They held it every year but Nana never really found time to go. This year, she'd make the time.

"Did you get everything?" Toshi fretted, wandering through every room of the house one more time. "You didn't forget anything important?"

"Got it all Dad," Nana patted her suitcase. Tsuna had his backpack stuffed with yarn, a few strands sticking out the hole where the zipper ended. "And even if we forgot something you could always mail it or come visit yourself."

He looked unconvinced.

"Come on," she nudged him towards the door, "or we'll be late for our flight."

"If you're _sure_-"

"I'm sure. Let's go."

The drive there was peaceful (if belting out lyrics with your Dad while your son did his best to melt into the backseat counted as peaceful) and soon they were standing in front of their flight gate.

"I made you enough food to last you about a week," Nana reminded him, pulling away from the world's greatest bear hug.

"I can cook now," he nearly whined, looking like a kicked puppy.

"The pasta was awesome," Nana agreed. It was also the only thing he could actually cook well. "But you can't survive on pasta Dad. For the week with my food learn some other things too if you can. Get that one lady from work you're always talking about to help out. It'll motivate you."

"_Nana_," he sounded scandalized.

"Hey, I recommended something completely normal," Nana grinned cheekily. "Whatever you took from that was your own mind at work."

"Eck, mooom," Tsuna moaned. Reborn was settled into his hair, still snoozing away.

"Sorry, sorry," she laughed. "We really do have to get going now. I'll talk to you later, okay Dad?"

"Okay sweetie," he sighed, hugging her again. "Call as soon as you land okay? You too Tsuna."

"We'll be right next to each other, only one of us needs to call."

"Fine," he caved. "Travel safely, alright?"

"Of course Dad. Don't work too hard okay? Retirement is just around the corner, and then you can visit us all the time! You could probably move to Namimori too if you wanted to."

"Ah, well, I'll think about it," he stumbled over his words, looking away.

Nana took that as a sign that he had already thought about it. A lot.

"We'd love to have you closer Dad," she assured him. "If that's what you want we're all for it."

He grinned, lopsided and loving. "Maybe I'll do that then. Goodbye Nana, Tsuna."

"Bye Dad!"

"Bye Grandpa."

-00-

**The next day**

"H-hello?" Tsuna knocked on the sliding door of the Sushi shop when he realized it was locked. "Is anyone home?"

He'd been a bundle of nerves all day when he ran to school that morning, arms laden with bags. It had lasted all the way up to when the bell for class to start went off and he realized Takeshi wasn't in class.

Kyoko told him he was home sick. She'd still looked concerned. Tsuna thanked her, handing her own of the bags with shaking hands, before running off again.

"You're running away again," Reborn pointed out, as though he had not noticed himself while shooting at him to run faster.

Next, he'd stopped by the Disciplinary Committee room but he'd been too nervous to enter. Instead, he just hung one of the bags on the door handle and rushed the other way before Kyoya somehow managed to sense him on the other side of the door and come kick it down.

Hayato's he'd left at home, on the table for the other boy to find in his own time. All the bags had notes to explain the gift in case he couldn't find the courage to say it to their face.

All of them except Takeshi's

Which led to him outside the Sushi shop, hopping from foot to foot as he waited for an answer.

His parents couldn't have left him here alone, could they? They were always very attentive when he was sick, surely one of them was home with him.

After another failed round of knocks, Tsuna went around to the side of the restaurant/house and grabbed the spare key hidden under the furthest window's planter box. Mumbling a soft 'sorry for intruding' he went in.

It really did look like no one was home.

Kicking off his shoes and leaving his backpack at the front Tsuna wandered his way upstairs to Takeshi's room. A soft, rasping cough greeted him when he slid the door open.

"...Mom?" a tired voice croaked. "S'that you?"

Tsuna gripped the handles of the gift bag tighter, words tumbling out of his throat in a jibbering mess.

"N-no, it's me. Uh, T-Tsuna. Sorry for- for interrupting you while you're resting. Are you okay? Do you need anything?"

"Tsuna?" Takeshi pushed himself up, fever-glazed eyes passing right over him twice before focusing. He beamed. "Hey! Tsuna! Welcome back!"

Oh great. Not even a minute in and he already wanted to cry.

"I... Yeah. I'm back. Sorry I didn't tell you we were leaving."

Takeshi wiggled back so he could prop himself up on the wall and motioned for him to come closer. "It's okay, you were probably busy packing right? Don't even worry about it. How was the trip? Is your Grandpa doing good?"

How was he supposed to do this? Takeshi didn't even bring it up...

He'd have to do it then.

Tsuna's stomach flipped, back and forth, as he stumbled his way over.

"Um, it was fun. I-I had a lot of time to think. And I... I wanted to apologize. For what happened. Before I left."

Takeshi was still smiling but he looked confused now. "Before you left? What happened? You mean about not mentioning Hayato was here? He came by the shop later himself, I get you were busy Tsuna. That's nothing to feel bad about."

"Why are you acting like it didn't happen?" he felt frustrated now. "Takeshi I messed up. I shouldn't have done that, I should have talked to you first and actually told you how I was feeling. I shouldn't have shouted at them like that-"

"Whoa, wait, Tsun-" Takeshi broke into a fit of coughs that hand Tsuna scrambling for the water glass on the floor next to his futon. "Thanks. But what are you talking about? I don't remember you yelling at anyone. I don't think I've ever heard you yell in the first place. Haha, that feels like something I'd remember!"

"What?" Tsuna shook his head. "Takeshi, I yelled at the baseball team. I-I got really mad at them for pressuring you and making you feel like you had to do everything alone. I was upset you couldn't come on the trip, and that was really selfish of me, but I was also really, _really _angry that they didn't see how far they were pushing you. I told them to... to quit the team if they just thought they could let you win everything for them."

Wide brown eyes blinked at him slowly. Takeshi scratched the back of his head, looking down at the blankets pooled in his lap.

"...That's why they were all acting so weird."

It was Tsuna's turn to be confused. "What?"

He laughed, slow and thoughtful. "The guys. After you left they kept giving me these weird looks and a lot more of them would stay after practice later. They even showed _up_ to practice more. I was really happy, cause it's a lot more fun when everyone is playing you know? But they kept looking at me funny. They kept telling me to go home on time too. I tried going out to practice more later but Mom wouldn't let me. She said I'd break my arm or something if I pushed it too far."

"You-," Tsuna paled. "You didn't know? What I did?"

And the baseball team had been treating him weirdly the whole time. It must have been so confusing. Why didn't Kyoko mention anything? Agh, he should have stayed behind to talk to her!

"No," he shook his head. He wasn't smiling anymore. "...Why'd you do that?"

Tsuna swallowed against the weight in his throat. He wasn't ready for this anymore. "I... You worked so hard. Every day, you put everything into something you loved. I-I missed hanging out with you, but it was amazing to see you so passionate about something. It just... It made me angry. _So_ angry that people were taking advantage of that. That people weren't seeing how hard you worked to get where you are. The other guys on the team kept talking about how everything was so easy now, how wins were just a sure-fire thing so long as you were there. They kept skipping practice to go have fun, which is fine I guess, but not at your expense! You had to do even more just to keep that feeling of fun, doing something you truly enjoyed and you were so tired all the time! They didn't even _notice_ how much they were relying on you, and it wasn't okay! They were..." he trailed off, throat closed. He could barely croak out the biggest issue he had with it all. "They were hurting you."

Takeshi was still looking down. Tsuna hadn't turned on the light when he entered, too nervous to even think about it, and now he couldn't see his friend's expression at all.

"A part of it... was because I was upset that we couldn't hang out as much anymore," he admitted, guilt heavy in his words. "I missed you, and Kyoko-chan is always busy too. B-but I don't regret it," he shook his head, determined. "I could have talked to you first, and done it in a better way, but I meant what I said. Even if... E-even if you hate me for making things weird between you and your teammates, and for sticking my nose where it doesn't belong, if it stops you from hurting yourself like this then that's fine. I'd rather that then you doing something you can't take back."

There. He'd said it all. Probably not very well, and he stuttered a lot, but he got the words out.

"You really think I'd hate you for that?"

Takeshi sounded hurt.

"I'm sorry," Tsuna said again. How was it, that every time he thought he'd come completely clean about what he'd done and thought, there managed to be more? "I _don't _think you'd hate me. Or, my mind does, but it also knows _you._ Like, um, if I put someone else in my position I can think you might be mad at them but you'd never hate them, but the moment I make that person me my brain just... messes it up. But I know you're not like that, and I know you care. But you deserved an explanation and an apology so... here I am."

Takeshi was looking at him now. He wasn't smiling or frowning, he was just staring. Tsuna gulped, already trembling hands shaking harder. "I am mad."

The wind flew out of Tsuna's lungs like he'd been hit. He'd known this might happen, it was super likely even, but to actually hear the words...

"I wanna ask why you didn't just talk to me, and I wanna say I would have listened and understood right away," Takeshi frowned a bit now, eyes shifting away. "...but I don't think I would have."

Tsuna's legs couldn't take this anymore. Lowering himself into an ungraceful heap on the floor next to his futon he waited for Takeshi to talk. It was his turn after all, and it was rude to interrupt someone when they were speaking.

"I kept sneaking out to practice more," Takeshi confided in him. "Late at night, when I knew Mom and Dad couldn't stop me. It's how I got sick. I got caught in the rain. Mom was really worried when I finally got home. Dad had gone out to look for me too." He laughed but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Usually, when I'm in trouble, Dad just laughs and tells me to deal with the consequences like a man. This time though he didn't say anything. He just... stared at me with this big frown on his face. He went to go get me something warm to eat, even after I'd worried him so bad."

Tsuna looked over at the empty bowel next to the cup. Tsuyoshi always made the greatest 'get-better' meals.

"Mom had cried. I don't think she wanted me to know, but I could tell. I thought she was going to yell at me, like she does when she's really scared I'll get hurt. Like that time we jumped from the top of the stairs to see who could jump the furthest, remember?"

Tsuna remembered. Both Aiko and Mom and been furious and he'd felt so bad about making her sad he tried to draw her an 'I'm sorry' picture later.

"She didn't yell though. I thought she was gonna ask why I was out too, but I guess she already knew. She asked me why baseball was so important to me."

Tsuna watched him flip between smiling and frowning. This was the first time he'd ever seen Takeshi so upset. After so many years of being friends, it was jarring and uncomfortable to realize how much he had missed.

He'd been so focused on being left behind he didn't realize Takeshi had pieces missing too.

"I-I didn't know how to answer her," he laughed bitterly. "I love baseball. I _love _it, but I couldn't tell her why. She asked if I was happy playing baseball and I couldn't answer that either because I wasn't! I wasn't happy! I had to work all the time, by myself, and I had to keep turning my friends away when they wanted to be around me because I had to keep working! When you asked me to go on that trip with you if felt so _relieved_ I wanted to cry, but then I realized I still had to keep working. It was driving me insane! I don't even know why I _had _to work so hard. How can I love something so much when it doesn't even make me happy?"

"I..." Tsuna reached out, hesitating. His fingers curled back and he dropped his hand. "I don't know," he whispered. "I've never loved anything like that before. I-I think you can figure it out though."

"How?" Takeshi shook his head, fists clenching in frustration.

"I don't know that either," Tsuna mumbled, defeated. "But I know you will anyway. Because you work so hard at everything you care about, and this is something you care about. It's just... not something you have to do alone, okay? Even if we can't help you find the answer, we can help you with other things. All you have to do is ask."

They sat in silence for a long, long while. Tsuna clenched and unclenched his fists around the bag, wondering if this was the right time to give it to him or if he should wait until he was back at school. Maybe he should leave for now. Takeshi probably wanted some space. It had been almost half an hour since they had last spoken, maybe he was actually asleep?

"Hey... Tsuna?"

"Yeah?" he perked up at the soft question.

"I've been really bored, locked up in here, but the fever makes my eyes water a lot. Do you think you could... read some of my comics to me? To help pass the time?"

"O-okay," he stuttered, stumbling to his feet to get the lights. "Which one do you want to read?"

"You pick. I'm good with anything."

"R-right."

Tsuna deliberated long and hard over the best choice of comic (he had a lot) and didn't hear the rustling sound behind him. When he turned, colorful book held triumphantly in hand, he stumbled over the sight of Takeshi snuggled into a dark blue, shoddily but warm made scarf on the bed.

"U-um..."

"What's up?" Takeshi cracked an eye open, corners crinkled to show the smile that was hidden away behind the fabric. "Find a good one?"

"Y-yeah! Of course!"

"Thanks, Tsuna," he said warmly, glancing down at the scarf.

Tsuna grinned, big and lopsided. "You're welcome."

-00-

Nana, being the badass mom that she is, invited the Yamamoto's out to see a movie that morning. Right when school was supposed to be getting out. Tsuna had rushed out the door that morning with several bags in his arms but a quick text to Aiko asking how everything was while they were gone told Nana that Takeshi was home sick that day because he'd been practicing his swings in the rain apparently.

The couple probably realized something was up considering they both agreed to leave when their son was sick, but that just meant they were all badass parents.

Or at least, she wanted to believe that.

"-but they could have avoided it all so easily if they just _talked_," Aiko gesticulated wildly.

Tsuyoshi shook his head, arms crossed as he matched her rapid footsteps with longer strides. "She had no idea how he would react, of course she would be nervous. And his was so personal, it can take time to even admit something like that to yourself, let alone another person!"

Nana slurped at the last remains of her soda, trailing behind the two slowly. Kouske was next to her, tapping away at his phone. Tsuyoshi had invited him and Natsuki apparently but Natsuki hated romantic comedies so she sent Kouske in her place.

"They knew each other since they were kids," Aiko implored, flicking her hair out of her face. "Even with all of their own doubts, they should know each other better than that. Treating the other like someone who would just kick them to a curb was an insult to their friendship they had built up for so many years!"

"It's a movie dear, they don't have the time to show those kinds of developments," Tsuyoshi pointed out.

Aiko paused, thinking about it. "...I guess, but that's no excuse for such extreme misunderstandings! Those sorts of situations are ridiculous!"

Kouske tucked his phone away in the inner pocket of his jacket once they got to the doors leading to the parking lot. "Two weeks ago you assumed your husband was trying to convince you to shave your head because he saw a picture of you as a child who had cut off your own hair and said you were even cuter back then."

Nana snorted, coughing violently as her nose and throat burned from inhaling fizzy liquid like it was air.

"Ahaha," Tsuyoshi laughed awkwardly, vividly recalling the memory of Aiko wailing in the bathroom with the razor held a mere few inches from her hair. That had been an… interesting night. Thank God Takeshi had gotten home just then or who knows what would have happened.

Aiko showcased her best impression of a firetruck, hiding her face between her hands. "I-it was an honest mistake!"

"Mh," Kouske sounded unconvinced. "Nana."

"A-ah, yup?" she jumped, wiping at her face to get rid of the 'I-totally-just-coughed-up-half-my-drink-through-my-nose' evidence.

By the look he was giving her, she had failed. Spectacularly.

"My son has been wondering when you will begin tutoring him again. It seems you've been rather lax."

She was immediately indignant.

"I have not been lax!" she argued, pointing at him aggressively. "_He _wanted time off for whatever evil scheme he was putting together and then I took a vacation with my son!"

"You didn't answer," he ignored her.

"You didn't ask a question," she mocked back. "You just said a bunch of bullshit."

He sighed, looking to the ceiling as if _Nana_ was the problem!

"Are you going to be coming over today to work with Kyoya or am I to assume you are taking another day off?"

"You are such a dick, you know that?" she shook her head, arms crossed. "I _was_ planning on coming over after the movies, but now I'm thinking I should cancel, just to spite you! That'd be unfair to Kyoya though, so I'll find something else to piss you off."

"You can try."

"This is nice," Tsuyoshi grinned, bright and dazzling. He threw an arm over Kouske's shoulder, ignoring the side-eye of death he got for the action. "We haven't been out together in a while!"

"It is lovely to spend time with each other," Aiko agreed, clapping her hands together. "It's a shame Natsuki-chan and Lavina-chan couldn't make it though."

"Natsuki prefers action so she can mock when a stunt double messes up," Nana shrugged (Kouske nodding next to her), "and Lavina told me she was making something with Hayato and if I tried to interrupt them I would be part of the dinner."

"It must be something really special then," Aiko nodded.

"Sure. Take that completely out of context. Why not."

Tsuyoshi glanced at his watch, letting Kouske go. "We've got to be getting home soon. Takeshi will need some more medicine soon."

"That time already?" Aiko leaned into him to peer at his watch. "Let's go then. We'll see you later Nana, Kouske-kun!"

"Bye," Nana waved, Kouske grunting as they split their separate ways.

Nana frowned.

"I don't really want to walk with you."

"Then run."

"Ugh."

-00-

"Hello Nana," Natsuki greeted them at the door. Kyoya was only a few steps behind her. "I was worried you would be late. Kyoya was getting anxious."

Yeah, anxious to _kill._ It'd been a few weeks since they'd last fought. Nana was surprised he wasn't waiting to sneak attack her on their way over.

Kouske greeted Natsuki with a kiss on the head, which she returned on his cheek. Nana glanced away, the affection from the stoic couple always catching her by surprise.

"We will have visitors in town next week," Kouske let her know, hanging his jacket on the coat hook next to the door. Kyoya looked ready to impale Nana on the spot. She wondered if they'd be cool if she started running now.

"Oh? I thought Michelle couldn't make it until the end of the month."

He shook his head. "Not her. One of that one's 'friends'."

It took Nana a second to realize he was motioning towards her. Which, rude. They'd known each other for years. He called her by name _all the time. _Now, suddenly, she was reverted to 'that one'?

"Already?" Natsuki looked at her, one eyebrow raised. "Is this a part of your plan, Nana?"

"Yeah, pretty much," she let them know. "But I can tell you more after I'm done sparring with Kyoya."

The two elder Hibari's shared a look.

Nana walked past them to the sliding door leading to the deck. "Speaking of which, we should probably get started. No tricks or games today Kyoya, just a sparring match. Okay?"

Kyoya jolted forwards, weeks of pent up aggression making him itch to fight.

Natsuki reached out as he passed, calmly setting her hand on his shoulder. Kyoya paused, peering up at her curiously.

Natsuki arched her brow and nodded her head towards the deck chairs. The hairs on the back on Nana's neck raised, sending a shiver all the way down her spine to her toes when Kouske stepped up next to his wife, casually rolling up his sleeves in preparation.

Kyoya looked between them, scowling, but when he opened his mouth to complain Natsuki shook her head.

"Patience, son. Observe and learn, first."

Nana made a small shrieking sound in the back of her throat when Kouske set his tonfas next to his feet, the sound reaching the dog-whistle level when Natsuki began to stretch.

"Only the strong win," Kouske informed her, as though it would explain what they were doing. Nana was two seconds away from tearing out of there as fast as she possibly could (which, if she felt threatened enough to use her flames, was pretty fucking fast).

"Only the strong stay in control," Natsuki added on, reaching behind herself to stretch her arms. "If you wish to be the one in control you must be strong enough to maintain your grip."

Kouske kicked off his shoes, shucking off his tie with a simple twist of his wrist at the same time. "If you are weak, you will lose. If you lose, you die."

"Uh…" Nana breathed out shakily, taking half a step back. "I-I feel like I'm about to lose right now…."

Kouske grinned, slanted and sharp and dear God that's where Kyoya got it from, right as Natsuki made the ominous promise "You _will _be strong enough".

Nana was already gone.

She was in the trees, halfway to the exit within five seconds.

Kouske was there in three.

"Time out, time out!" Nana screeched, lifting her arms covered in lighting flames to take the blow from a gleaming bar of metal. It sent her flying back, skidding across the ground. She managed to keep her feet under her but the moment she came to a stop Natsuki was in her face.

"When you are attacked," Natsuki said as though having a casual conversation when roundhouse kicking Nana's head (which she just barely ducked beneath), "there are no time outs."

"B-but why-" Nana scrambled back when the same foot that had aimed for her head came rocketing down with the force of a sledgehammer, cracking the ground where it hit, "-why are you attacking me?!"

The taller woman leveled her with a stare that made her feel stupid for asking. "Because we care."

The way the tree split in half from where Kouske hit it, milliseconds before Nana rolled away, was the scariest example of 'caring' Nana had ever seen.

"Fight back," he demanded, grey eyes narrow and brighter than she had ever seen. He, like his son, apparently got extreme joy from beating the shit out of other people. "Or lose."

"You said if I lose I die!" she cried, channeling way too much Flame into her legs and propelling herself backward. Kouske, teeth bared in a bloodthirsty smile, chased after her as she crashed through several trees and landed in a bush.

"Then fight."

Natsuki _teleported_ (there was no other possible way for her to get there that fast) behind her, kicking her lightly back towards her husband.

"I don't want to fight you!" Nana scratched across the bark of the nearest tree (ohh, _so _many splinters), and flipped away.

Kouske grabbed her foot. "Then die."

He reared back, ready to strike hard enough to do some serious damage. Nana, already panicking, kicked him in the face with her still Flame reinforced feet.

The force of the hit sent him spiraling back, smashing into the ground with enough of an impact to make Nana wince.

"Oh my gosh, Kouske, are you okay?! I'm so sorry, I didn't-"

He was back on his feet. Blood was dripping down the cut along the side of his head, a dark bruise already taking up the left side of his face. There was blood in his teeth, which Nana was uncomfortably aware of when he damn near beamed.

"So you have been holding back."

Nana jumped, whipping around with her fists up. Natsuki looked pleased with the reaction.

"Kyoya will be furious," Kouske laughed. The sound was low and totally evil sounding. He was like a freakin Disney villain.

"I-I don't hold back against Kyoya!" Nana argued. "All our matches are fair!"

"Yes," Natsuki agreed, "you are very nearly equal, in many ways. So long as you do not use your abilities, at least."

They were circling her.

"My abilities?" Nana spread her feet, hyper-focused.

"_Your Flames," _Snake guessed. "_You used them to deflect and hit Hibari Kouske."_

"The way you use your life energy," Natsuki explained, eyeing her up and down with interest. "We have both seen it before, but not nearly as potent as what you just showed."

"_They have seen other Flame users?" _Snake wondered. "_But not to your level. I am guessing they have never seen the full physical manifestations. Just the increase in aura."_

"Have you-" Nana kept stepping back to try to keep them both in her field of vision, for whatever good it would do to see them when they moved at fucking mach speed, "-ever seen anyone use, uh, fire?"

She had trailed off a bit at the end, very much aware of how crazy the question was.

"Like, colored fire? Purple, or green, or something. A fire that made them stronger?"

"It was supposed to make them stronger?" Kouske sounded beyond unimpressed. "I thought they were just trying to use the flames to burn me."

Snake's dumbfounded silence matched Nana's own. Kouske had… had _seen _Flame users. Powerful ones, if they could manifest them, and he hadn't noticed any increase in strength? Had just thought it was some kind of light show meant to distract him from tearing them apart?

Natsuki hummed thoughtfully. "That would explain France."

Kouske blinked before nodding in agreement.

"Oh my _god_," Nana hissed under her breath.

"You should explain this in more detail later," Natsuki decided, stepping ever closer. "We can have tea while Kyoya finishes your written assessment."

"W-" Nana shook her head to escape this fever dream. "We're having _tea_ later?"

She rolled her eyes. "_I _will be having tea. You and Kouske can have coffee, of course."

"W-wait!" Nana waved her hands frantically, begging for them to let her _breath _for the love of all that was good in the world. "This is two against one! And you, you _know_ I can't beat the two of you. How am I supposed to win this?"

"You don't," Kouske snorted. Natsuki shot him a look. He sighed, uncoiling a bit. "If you 'insist'," he sneered, "on having a handicap…"

"I do," Nana nodded so quickly her neck popped when he paused to let her answer.

He clicked his tongue. "Then three hits. If you can land three hits on the both of us, we will stop attacking you."

So six in total. Nana gulped. "And how many hits do _you_ need to land?"

"Six as well," Natsuki cut in before Kouske could say anything to freak Nana out even more. "Starting now of course. We won't count the earlier ones."

"Still bullshit, but okay."

"_You are okay with this?"_ Snake sounded surprised. Nana let the sounds of him eating something distinctly crunchy fill her with adrenaline pumped fury.

"...They just want to help. Right?"

"_You hesitated."_

"Shut up!"

"I recommend you stop talking to whoever it is you ask for guidance," Natsuki cut in. Nana gulped, paling. "Any distraction will lead to your own pain."

Kouske was gone.

50/50 odds of him being behind or above her. Praying for a strong stroke of luck Nana pushed her Flames into her legs again and jumped.

The tree that had been at her back shattered, silver slicing through the air where she had been standing.

Whooping in terrified glee Nana didn't see the kick coming until she was already on the ground again.

Right. There were two of them.

"_Perhaps you should use this as an opportunity to see how well your Flames have grown. They already know enough, use this as a chance to further yourself."_

"Kay," Nana croaked, spitting dirt and leaves out of her mouth. Pausing, a crazy idea flashed through her mind. Lowering her face once more she took a precious second to eat one of the leaves, holding it against her tongue.

"_...Why."_

Grabbing one of the feeble looking twigs on the ground she forced as much Flame as would fit in the tiny thing and rolled onto her back. Kouske's tonfas crashed into it.

He blinked, surprised when the stick held strong and did not snap the second it was hit. Nana wrapped her legs around his waist so he couldn't fall back and headbutted the stick and tonfas so they smashed into his face.

"Try not to give my husband a concussion, please," Natuski called out with tinkling laughter in her voice.

"That's two!" Nana crowed, crying out when Kouske mimicked her and instead of falling back, like a normal human being who just got hit in the face with sheer metal, he forced his head back forwards to headbutt her in return.

"Son of a _bitch!_"

Nana, with the calf muscles of an Egyptian God, twisted and threw him away.

Flipping up onto her feet she caught Natsuki's punch on her arm. Natsuki jumped away, shaking out her arm with a curious frown. Green lightning flickered across her skin, making her eyes light up.

"That counts!" Nana shouted, sprinting away. She'd lost her mouth leaf when Kouske hit her (which was fine, because ewww, that felt grosser every second it was in there). Jumping up she ripped off a tiny stick branch full of leaves. Ripping them off she tossed one in her mouth ("_You are disgusting)_, straightened the rest like knives in her left hand, and kept the branch in her right.

"_Calm down and focus you heathen."_

Right. Right. Calm.

She had weapons now. Keeping them strong enough to _be _weapons meant she couldn't power run as much and her defense was weakened but it gave her chances to strike back. She really didn't want to be hit by a Hibari six, er, four? Did blocking count?

"You have four hits left."

The wind whistled when she bent back in the world's deadliest game of 'how low can you go' and Natsuki's fist passed within a hairs width of her nose. Placing her hands on the ground bridge style she kicked up and pushed off. Twisting she brought her branch around to hit her. Natsuki widened her stance and punched straight through the enhanced wood.

Nana's mouth stayed closed, muffling her horror movie scream nicely.

"Assume your tricks will not work twice," Natsuki informed her kindly before punting her right in the side.

"_That sounded like it hurt."_

...One day Snake. One day.

When Nana could see past the dizzying stars in her vision she realized she had rolled right out of the wooded area to the deck. Kyoya was looking over the railing at her, looking very much like he wanted to jump down and add his own brand of crazy.

No thank you.

Spitting out the leaf (Kyoya's face scrunched up in an approximation of his father's look of pure disgust) Nana scrambled to her feet and dove for the pool right as Kouske came charging through the trees.

Diving in headfirst Nana forced herself to sink to the bottom, leaves in hand, and waited. She could see the wobbly form of him staring down but another grabbed him before he could jump in. Nana assumed it was Natsuki. Especially when she showed him the arm Nana had shocked earlier and pointed towards the water.

Damn. She'd been hoping to electrocute him a bit when he came after her.

Ah well, now she had some time to form a plan. She could hold her breath for roughly ten minutes if she was relaxed and had enough time to take several deep breaths before trying. She'd just had the wind knocked out of her though and she was very tense so it was more likely to be four or five minutes.

Letting the Flames leave one of the leaves so it didn't cut her she put it in her mouth.

"_Just because it is a smart plan doesn't mean it is a healthy one," _Snake sounded nicely grossed out.

Think, think, think.

Kouske only needed one more hit. Natsuki needed two. All Nana had at her disposal now was leaves. Razor sharp leaves, sure, but still leaves.

They'd only work once.

No equipment was left lying around this time. Kyoya had gotten tired of her using things in weird ways to beat him so he always cleaned up everything before she came over (Natsuki was pleased by his sudden initiative to keep the house tidied up). She could enhance her muscles again, but she was starting to run out of steam. She had never had to use her Flames so quickly, and so much. Muscle enhancement was draining all on its own, she could probably only do it one more time.

Kouske and Natsuki hadn't moved. They wanted to see what she would do.

Her lungs were burning.

Floating to the side Nana made her feet rest against the wall. Aiming at Natsuki she let her Flames fill every part of her body. Her skin tingled, green flares of light zigzagging their way across her skin and making the water bubble. Closing her eyes, she nodded to herself.

If she couldn't finish this in the next minute she'd be too exhausted to keep fighting. Tensing, Nana pushed off the wall as hard as she could, denting the tiling.

Natsuki blocked the first blow, but the sudden strength behind it as well as the electric shock made her stumble. Nana kicked her in the legs, forcing her to the ground. Kouske aimed for her head. Nana touched down with just enough time to widen her stance like Natsuki had done earlier and punched out.

The tonfa snapped in half, the missing piece hitting Nana square in the face. Despite the blunder, her fist made contact with Kouske's shoulder, sending the man flying.

Natsuki swept her legs out as the Flames surrounding Nana sputtered and died. The taller woman punched her twice, knocking the leaves away when Nana made a last-ditch attempt to throw them at her.

The minute was up.

Holding Nana's legs down with her own, bending the dominant arm away Natsuki reared back for the final strike.

Nana shot the leaf out of her mouth, infusing it with whatever little bit she could dredge up.

The thin curl of green cut across Natsuki's face, leaving a very shallow scrape across her face. It wasn't even deep enough to bleed, but it still hit.

Natsuki froze, fist mere inches away from pummeling Nana's face into pulp. Lifting her fingers to trace the scratch Natsuki looked bewildered. Silver eyes glanced over to where the leaf, bereft of any Flames, was drifting to the ground lazily.

She breathed out sharply once. Twice.

Nana gapped, heart exploding, when Natsuki threw her head back and laughed.

"You always manage to exceed my expectations," she stood, laughter still present in her voice as she held her hand out to help Nana up.

Nana could feel her whole face burning, riveted on the tall woman's face.

"I knew you would surprise us, but you actually managed to beat both of us," Natsuki seemed equal parts impressed and pleasantly surprised. "If this were a real fight you would certainly be dead, but it was still impressive."

Alright, that last part was a bit of a downer, but nothing could dim the memory of Natsuki laughing without reservation now burned into her mind. Nana immediately made plans to try her damndest to do the same to Kouske and Kyoya one day. She _would_ have the full set.

"Kyoya!" Natsuki called up to her son who was practically shaking in anticipation. "Go fight your father."

Nana watched him sprint across the lawn dazedly. She started when a hand pushed at her shoulder, guiding her towards the house.

"He doesn't take to losing very well," Natsuki explained, the smile never leaving her face. "I'm sure he still has plenty of energy to burn. I'll go start the drinks, take a seat. We can talk once everything is ready."

Nana fell onto the proffered deck chair, Natsuki cheerily walking inside as the sounds of fighting echoed from the tree line.

"I… I won," she breathed. Her whole body was trembling, aches sprouting everywhere the moment she sat down.

"_Despite the affronts against common hygiene practices, yes. You won. Even though they were clearly going easy on you. Very impressive Nana."_

"You said that sarcastically," her voice was shaking as she melted against the cushions, eyes fluttering, "but that was _awesome._"

"_I did not mean it to come off that way. It is impressive that you managed to succeed. Well done."_

"Gonna hold… this against him… forever…"

"_I am sure Hibari Kouske will appreciate that."_

Nana's snickers eventually faded away into nasally snores. There was so much to be done, and so many things she needed to explain apparently, but for now she would revel in her victory.

Natsuki reappeared, a tray of drinks in one hand and a book in the other. Glancing at Nana she set the drinks down and settled into one of the other chairs. Flipping open her book to where she had left off she kept a vague ear on her husband and son's fight.

She would let Nana rest until they returned.

**-00-**

**Whoohooo! Longest chapter to date!**

**I've had that last scene written forever, I'm so glad I can finally throw it out there! Oc's will start appearing soon! Whenever one is introduced I'll let you all know at the beginning who was kind enough to fork them over to me for the low, low price of a thousand-watt grin (blinding, I know). If you've given me an Oc and you've already seen their name pop up then they'll appear pretty quickly. The rest of y'all gotta wait till the Italy trip. Sorry friends. T-T**

**Review Responses:**

**ren7720: 3**

**TrilbyBard: Thanks Trilby! I'm glad you're liking the different take! I love thinking about how Nana has already started a network but still believes they haven't begun yet. The Hibaris have it on lockdown. XD Hmmm, more hints. Snake has been alive for a very long time. He tries to avoid connecting to people because it could impact his decision making, like someone he once knew. He has a very important job to do, and he is the only one who can do it. Want more?**

**ACasualPotato: Oh. Oh no. You poor spud. Six all-nighters? Are you okay? Can you squeeze some naps in there? Take care of yourself friend! (I'm also up at pretty much ungodly hours over the summer months so if I am awake feel free to message me and I'll do some text cheerleading shtuff. I'll also tell you to go the fuck to sleep, in a very loving, happy manner. Cause sleeeeeppp.) ****I'm good! Thanks for asking :) Summer is my free months from the most stressful of my jobs, so I'll be feeling pretty chill for a while. **

**That's a super sweet reason to be making angry noises! Sorry (kinda not though;)) about that cliffhanger. Long ass arms is how I think of my stringbean brother, so I felt it fit. Any nice, minorly insulting descriptive phrases I can probably point at one of my siblings as being the idea focal point for XD Thank you for the review! I plan to update as often as I can (which... varies, but will happen!)**

**sparksofrandomness: =.= That's super nice of you to say! Thank you!**

**shirokonyan: Sleep is for the weak! (Super hypocritical advice is my game). I am super happy you loved it so much, and super sorry for making you stay up so late. This next one's coming out after 5am MT so hopefully you are already asleep before it posts! Thanks for the kind words friendo!**

**Aerialeno: D'awww, thank you! He... might know. But, hypothetically, if he did, he has no idea how to approach her about it. ;)**

**Guest: Hell yeaaaaahhhhh (towards you, for being cool)**

**Chi-chan: Welp. There goes my heart. Just... flying away. You are too sweet for words, so have some candy instead! *various candies you are not allergic to that you totally love***


	14. New Home

**Nana has no secrets apparently**

**Aiko has a heart to heart**

**Blackmail and desserts go hand in hand**

**Lavina is nosey as hell**

**Nana puts their training to good use**

**Kyoko has some things to say**

**Quick side note: The lovely lady Michelle who appears in this chapter has been gifted to this story by the lovely TrilbyBard. They have a nice long list of good story recommendations to try out over on their page so give those stories a look through and like here and there! Trilby's got some good tastes *dramatically points at this story like a gameshow host with an over cheesy smile***

**-00-**

New Home

**-00-**

"Does this look accurate?"

Nana leaned forward when Kouske turned his laptop towards her, legs curled to her side comfortably in the chair. Natsuki had shown her some really nice stretches for bruised muscles so everything only ached a bit instead of the burning death she had been expecting. They were all on the deck, Nana wearing some of the workout clothes she would leave at their place in case she was running late for a tutoring session while her original ones dried on the railings. The table was set with a coffee and teapot along with a plate of cookies Lavina had made for the Hibari family yesterday.

Nana snorted. "Is this a spreadsheet?"

He narrowed his eyes at her, the effect completely ruined by the swelling of his bruised left side.

"Yeah, it's good," she rolled her eyes. She had just gotten done telling the Hibari couple (and Kyoya too, she guessed, since he was over on the side finishing up his essay) about Flames, their attributes, and whatever else she felt they needed to know about them.

"You said they are genetic," Natsuki crossed her legs, casually perched in her usual chair. "But you have also listed characteristics that commonly appear in those with a particular Flame. Personality isn't a genetically inherited trait."

"Well, no," Nana agreed. "It's kind of like if two completely different people had the same goal, but used different ways to get to."

"_Use Cloud Flames as an example. They will understand that better than the others."_

Nana tapped her fingers on the rim of her own cup (Natsuki made pretty good coffee but Nana had kind of been hoping Kouske would be in a nice enough mood to work his freakishly good caffination magic). "Cloud Flame users, for example, are usually really independent and possessive of the things they view as theirs. They value freedom above all else but that can take shape in a lot of ways. It doesn't really shape your _personality_ but it does affect how you go about doing things. A Cloud will look for a way to destroy the problem in their way while a, uh, Sky would work to make that problem a solution. It's all perspective based."

"Tsuna-kun is a Sky," Natsuki looked her over. "But you are not."

"_You could be."_

"I am not," Nana nodded. "I use Lightning Flames. Tsuna's flames come from his birth father."

"Do they share any similarities?"

Nana's face soured a bit. She hid the expression by draining the last dregs of coffee in her cup but she doubted it went unnoticed. "They might. I guess. Sky's are charismatic. They draw others to them pretty easily, for better or worse."

Natsuki's eyes flickered over to Kyoya who was listening with one ear while finishing his final paragraph. "Tsuna-kun is very charming."

Kouske snorted. Something must have been hidden in that little sound because Kyoya looked ready to jump right back into fighting. He had bruises of his own, but nothing compared to Kouske's shiner. Nana was waiting for the right moment to snap a pic for posterities sake.

"Your ex-husband was good at inspiring others then." Natsuki returned to watching her closely.

"Yeah, well, so was Hitler." Nana wasn't sure what the other woman was looking for. Information about Iemitsu maybe? She never talked about him to any of her friends and the only ones that had seen her interact with him was Kyoya. "Sky Flames are the rarest ones. Statistically, the majority of them have been pretty good people, but not all of them. A criminal overlord can inspire people just as easily as a hero can if they say the right shit."

"You are aiming to be a 'criminal overlord'," Kouske pointed out blandly, rechecking his work and adding a few things.

Nana opened her mouth to refute that, it was her _son_ that was going to be a criminal overlord she was just making sure he was as safe as he could be while doing so, but clamped her lips shut after a second to think. They knew what she wanted to do, but she had yet to actually tell them _why _she was doing it.

Which, hey, now that she thought about it…

"Are you both really okay with me just… trying to control a huge criminal society? Like, you both seem pretty sure that I know what I'm doing, even though I have no idea what I'm doing."

Kouske didn't even hesitate. "You never know what you are doing."

Nana flipped him off. "You know what I meant. I don't know how to get there, but you seem to be assuming I have all the answers of what to do for when I am there, you know?"

"That is because you know what you want to do when that happens," Natsuki pointed at something on Kouske's screen. He frowned at it. "Otherwise you would not want to do it in the first place."

Nana sighed, leaning her head back in exasperation. "_Yes_, I have a reason for doing this, this isn't some kind of hobby I've suddenly picked up. But you don't know what the reason is! It could be evil! Or, or just stupid. Hell, it might even _be _a hobby! I could be lying."

"Nana," Natsuki leaned forwards suddenly, setting her teacup down and looking her dead in the eye. Nana gulped. "I am being hunted down by the Chinese Triad. They have been trying to kill me and those I care for for years and show no signs of ever giving up. If I make one mistake Kouske, Kyoya, and myself will be tortured and then murdered in cold blood. The only way I can avoid this fate is by following their demands, but I have refused to do so."

The cup in Nana's hands fell through her numb fingers, shattering on to the porch into hundreds of tiny shards. "W-what? Oh my god, Natsuki. That's horrible! What the fuck?! Why would they- how could they do that to you?!" Nana stood, stomach flipping in pure horror while her blood boiled in anger. "Is there any other way? No, no, what am I saying? If there was you would have found it by now. Holy shit. That's bullshit! Is there anything that I can do? I don't know the first thing about the Triad, but I can ask Reborn. He probably knows something. And Snake, he's full of random shit, I bet he knows a lot about them. He's mentioned them before, I think, but they were never an endgame kind of thing, you know? And-oh! Oh shit, what if we-we added them? I mean, we're already taking over what's pretty much all of Italy, we can totally throw them in too right? How big are they, compared to the Mafia? Will it be harder or easier? Cause if it's easier we should probably focus on them first, you know? But if it's harder then we could get the Mafia at our backs and then take them on faster." She folded her arms over her stomach, raising one hand to cup her chin. "They've been chasing you for years, right? We should get them first then, even if it's harder. I don't even want to think about what would happen if we waited too long and they found you guys. Jesus, they must be fucking insane coming after you guys. Kyoya alone could probably take out a whole army, but all three of you? How dangerous are they? You know what, it doesn't matter. Going after you just because you want to live your own life is all kinds of fucked up. I'll start looking into too, okay? I know you think I'm probably really bad for this job, but I promise I've got some tricks up my sleeves too. I won't do anything to endanger any of you, I swear. If you need anything you just- Kouske what the fuck are you doing?"

The fingers curled into the back of her shirt tightened when she tried to wriggle away. Kouske marched down the steps to the grass, completely ignoring the protests and struggles of the small creature held in his grasp.

"Kouske, let _go_-" her words shot up three octaves when he threw her over her shoulder like she weighed as much as a pillowcase and chucked her straight into the pool.

Natsuki chuckled softly, reaching out for the teapot to refill her drink. When Kyoya reached out with a wide smirk on his face she refilled his as well. Kouske walked back up the steps, adjusting the cuffs of his sleeves. Several moments later loud, flopping wet sounds smacked up the stairs.

Nana threw her hands out wide. In a wordless fury she kept motioning at herself, then back to the pool, before finally flapping her hands at the clothes she had been wearing earlier that were drying in the sun on the other side of the deck.

"You," Kouske made sure she was looking directly at him as he sat leisurely in his chair, "are disgusting."

Nana reached for his neck.

"I was lying," Natsuki bit off a small piece of another cookie. She looked forward to Kouske and Lavina's baking day this coming Thursday. The treats they made together were always so divine.

Nana, soaking wet with her hair flopping in her face, looked like a drowned kitten. "...What."

"The Triad is no longer searching for me," Natsuki explained, offering her the towel she had used before. Nana's clothes were definitely dry by then, but she would need to wipe off some of the excess water before going through the house to reach the bathroom. "I dealt with that a long time ago."

Nana appeared to be suffering from a serious case of whiplash. "Wait, so… you _were_ being hunted by the Triad?"

"Yes."

"But you're not anymore."

"That is correct."

"...Why did you lie?!"

Natsuki wondered if Nana would be able to fly if they kept waving their arms around like that. It would be very entertaining to see.

"You want to take over the Mafia to help someone."

Nana had to take several deep breaths, blinking long and slow, to get her words out. "_Yes._ I _do. Why_ is that part of this?"

"Is it Tsuna-kun?"

Natsuki noted the way Kyoya's head snapped around to stare at her at the same time Nana's mouth dropped open.

"...How do you know that?"

"You just confirmed it," Kouske pointed out, rolling his eyes at her following cry of '_Shit!'._

"We had our suspicions," Natsuki continued on, briefly meeting Kyoya's eyes as she explained. "At first we suspected you were doing so for Lavina's sake. She is the only one in your family that has a strong connection to the mafia that we could find." She let one eyebrow arch high, staring at the smaller woman pointedly. "That we could find."

Nana did her best not to fidget. "...You said that twice."

"I did. Finding no information on a person is more suspicious then digging up a few skeletons. Your ex-husband, for all intents and purposes, is a ghost."

Nana blinked. Seriously?

"_You have the benefit of my knowledge," _Snake reminded her. "_Without that, it is highly unlikely that you would have found anything on Sawada Iemitsu."_

"But I learned stuff about Reborn," she mumbled under her breath, "and he even if he is a baby he's way scarier than Iemtisu."

"_Perhaps Reborn wanted to be known. He does work very well off of people's fear of him."_

...Okay then.

"Kouske thought you might be foolishly trying to help your ex-husband with whatever he had gotten himself wrapped up into," Natsuki waved her hand flippantly, "but we crossed that option out rather quickly after Kyoya told us what happened in Italy. Tsuna-kun was one of the only options left, although it was hard to find a strong connection between him and the Mafia. Until Reborn arrived, of course."

"Oh man," Nana deflated. "You looked him up too?"

"We are old friends."

Nana jumped, flinching away from the high pitched voice right next to her head. Reborn walked along the railing of the deck until he could hop into the chair Nana had been using before.

"Ciaossu."

"..." Nana frog-faced. "I'll be right back."

Slapping her way over to her clothes she scooped them up and disappeared into the house. In the fifteen minutes it took for her to come back Kouske had offered Reborn some coffee and the three were chatting while Kyoya looked bored out of his mind.

Nana came back out with an oversized jar of peanut butter and an equally large spoon. She opted to sit on the wooden flooring, crosslegged, and as far from Kouske as possible.

"We didn't even have peanut butter," the elder Hibari squinted at her.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Not that _you _knew of."

"You hid snacks in our home?"

"You hide facts in my life!"

"We know nothing about you that you don't already know," Natsuki assured her. "We simply know more than you think we do."

Nana, not sure if that was a comfort or not, glued her lips shut with a huge spoonful of peanut butter.

"All of that aside, I ask that you trust in the trust we have in you. You are a very… curious person Nana. Not many would have the resolve, let alone the ability to attempt what you are doing. We are both interested in seeing your ideas come to fruition."

The peanut butter mouth was a blessing and a curse. Nana simply nodded, flushed to her ears, as she smacked her lips and cursed herself for not grabbing any milk as well.

Natsuki quirked her lips knowingly. "With your doubts set aside let's begin on the actual plan. Reborn has informed us that he already has a list of potential Famiglias for you to start with. We will leave that to the two of you. Kouske and I have also invited some of our own… friends, to come meet you. I'm sure you will find their skills invaluable."

"You hesitated on the word friend," she said around a mouthful.

"They are also similar to business partners."

Nana sent her a furtive glance. "And what business do they help with?"

"Whatever is required."

"Bah," Nana deflated, stabbing her spoon into the jar again. She blinked at the small stack of papers shoved in front of her face. "All done?"

"I wouldn't be handing them to you if I wasn't," Kyoya rolled his eyes.

"Careful there," Nana grabbed them, leafing through them for a rough estimate on how long it would take to read through everything. Damn his handwriting was nice. "You sound like your Dad."

"Better than to sound like his teacher."

"Look, just cause you're all pissy that I gave you a black eye-"

"The only impressive thing you've ever actually done-"

"_Excuse _you, I gave _birth_ once. I do impressive things every damn day!"

"In your eyes, I am sure they seem so."

"You are such an asshole-"

"That means very little coming from a creature such as yourself."

"I am a _delight!"_

Natsuki set her teacup down with a small clink, gesturing towards the house. "Would you like to come inside Reborn? They can go all day if they tried."

"I would," he hopped down and followed her through the sliding doors. Kyoya trailed after them, branching off to go to the front door. He'd cut his earlier patrol short and he needed to make sure he hadn't missed anything.

"You dress like a _troll_."

"A _hot _troll!"

Natsuki closed the windows to the kitchen when there was a crash, followed quickly by a shriek. She thought she heard Nana saying 'neener, neener' but they were too far away at that point to make it out clearly.

"They get along well," Reborn noted.

"They do," she agreed, joining him at the table. She sat with her back straight, hands in her lap. The skin around her eyes tightened, her gaze more hostile. "What do you want?"

Reborn smirked

-00-

Tsuyoshi glanced over to the stairs when he heard a small creak. Aiko was tiptoeing her way up, a large photo album in her hands. The bow and arrow design along the spine of it was familiar to him, but it was a shock to see her carrying it after so many years of hiding it away beneath their bed.

"Where are you escaping to?"

He chuckled when she scowled down at her feet.

"I avoided the bad step," she complained. "How did you hear me?"

"Maybe I just have a special radar for the love of my life," he grinned, turning around from where he was cleaning the prep area and crossing his arms.

"Tsuyoshi," she rolled her eyes but her lips curled tellingly. "I'm just going to check on Takeshi."

He let his eyes flicker to the book.

"I-I thought I could share some stories with him," she blushed, hugging it tighter to her chest.

A flicker of worry started to grow. "...Are you going to tell him about her?"

"...Yeah."

Tsuyoshi wiped his hands off, striding over until he was standing at the stairs looking up.

"Do you want to do this alone?"

She cracked a smile. "Yes. We'll be down to help as soon as we're done."

He shook his head, reaching for her hand. Tugging it down a bit he placed a kiss on the back. "Don't worry about it. Take your time."

Aiko leaned over the railing for a real kiss. "Thank you."

Tsuyoshi let her go, watchful of her small, hesitant steps.

When she finally made it to Takeshi's room her nerves were starting to rile up again. Hesitating for just a second she knocked on the wooden frame.

Takeshi poked his head out. "Mom? What's up?"

"Hey sweetie, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Of course!" he stepped back to let her in.

Aiko beelined for his futon, patting the spot next to her until he sat down too.

"Mom?"

"Here."

Aiko slid the photo album over to him, fingers brushing over the cover softly.

Takeshi looked from it to her, smile tilted and curious. Opening to the first page he blinked at the picture of a baby and the inscription of his mother's birthday.

"My parents both wanted a girl," Aiko scooted over until they were squished together, flipping to the next page. A fat baby in a sunflower dress stared up at the camera with wide, startled eyes. "My father because he thought a boy would be a trouble maker and my mother because she had my name picked out for me since she was ten-years-old."

She flicked through the next few, the baby version of herself steadily growing until she was six. She had a canine missing and was standing proudly with a tiny wooden bow. The archers uniform she was wearing was too loose around the shoulders but the smile on her face made her seem bigger.

"My father had a friend that taught archery. It was just supposed to be a summer activity to get me out of the house while he and mom went through the steps for divorce."

Takeshi glanced at her, brow furrowing.

"Mom didn't like the idea of me doing it, she thought it was not very ladylike to hold a weapon, but she was so stressed at the time I don't think she really cared _what_ I was doing so long as I was out of the way."

A significant chunk of the book was filled with photos and ribbons of Aiko's exploits in archery. In many, she was holding a trophy, first or second place, proudly.

"This," she tapped the one of a young man lifting her onto his shoulders, the first place trophy for nationals held above her head proudly, "is your father. We met a little before this when one of my events was delayed. Some friends and I were walking around and we stumbled upon his training in the woods. He looked so beautiful, the way he moved was enthralling. I missed the whole tournament that day. Mother was furious. She told me that if I was going to waste my time doing something as ridiculous as archery then I should, at the very least, show up to it. That had been the first time since I was about nine that she came to see me compete." She smiled softly, tracing over the lines of Tsuyoshi's face. "I never regretted that day. It gave me my best friend and the love of my life."

Takeshi followed her movements, eyes wide. She never talked about his grandparents. She always seemed upset when he asked so he had stopped asking.

The next picture was of Tsuyoshi and her, curled up by a window while it rained outside. The whole room was gray and darkened. "Tsuyoshi's father passed away after we both turned seventeen. Your father tried to grin and bear it, just like you always do, but his father had been his whole world to him. He'd been more of a father to me than my own, too. That was the day my mother and I got into our biggest fight yet. I wanted to move in with Tsuyoshi, to support him. She was against it, of course. I said a lot of things I didn't mean, and a lot of things I'd meant but never had the courage to say before, but by the time we were both done insulting each other I decided it would be best to stay away for the night."

The second to last picture was of a house, painted nicely with a well cared for garden. "I stayed the night with a friend. Tsuyoshi didn't know I wasn't home that night, I didn't want to add to his problems. After calming down and having some time to think I decided to talk to my mother again. She never really understood me, and half the time it was like she didn't care that I was around unless I was doing something 'disgraceful', but she was still my mother. I thought that, in the end, she would at least want me to be happy."

Her voice was empty. Years worth of anger drained into a stagnant pit of apathy. "When I got home all of her things were gone. She hadn't even waited twenty-four hours to leave me behind. She left a note, saying I had to be out within a week or my things would be sold along with the house. I never heard from her again after that."

Takeshi wrapped his arm around her, resting his head on top of hers. She smiled, leaning into the touch. The last page had two pictures, one on top of the other. The first was of her wedding, her and Tsuyoshi's foreheads pressed together as they smiled like they were full of all the love the world could possibly hold.

"You look really pretty Mom," Takeshi mumbled into her hair.

"Thank you. That is probably the second happiest day of my life."

"What's first?"

She tapped the other picture. There was a tiny, wrinkly baby in a hospital gown. One large hand was coming out of the frame, leaning down to brush against the baby's head. It had Takeshi's name and birthday on it. When Aiko closed the book Takeshi noticed the inscription on the back.

_I know it wasn't all happy, but all these moments led up to the story we have now. The child we have. Whenever you are lost in your own head, use this as your map. You'll find your way back to us. Always._

_-Tsuyoshi_

"I stopped doing archery after my mother left."

Takeshi looked down at her quizzically. "Why? It looked like you had a lot of fun."

"I did," she nodded. "I loved archery with all of my heart. I still do. It was a place where I could be strong, on my own. After Mom left I wasn't happy for a long time. I still loved archery, and I loved Tsuyoshi but I wasn't happy. It felt like all the color in the world had drained away and I had no idea what to do to bring it back. I was upset all the time. I kept trying and trying to bring it back but at some point, it seemed so pointless to even try."

Takeshi swallowed roughly, looking away. "...Did it ever come back?"

"It did," she placed her hand over his, smiling warmly. "Sometimes things still look grey, but I was able to find the things that made me happy. That made me love archery in the first place."

Takeshi flipped his hand over, squeezing back. "Why do you love archery so much?"

"Because it makes me feel things that can make me happy. It's something I'm good at, and it makes me feel strong. People looked up to me and saw me as someone amazing. That made me feel like I _was_ amazing. When Mom left I didn't feel amazing any more. I felt weak and forgotten. Doing archery to feel like I was great again when I only ever felt broken seemed wrong at the time. Like I was lying to myself and everyone around me."

Aiko turned to fully face him, nudging him to do the same. Once they were fully face-to-face she took both of his hands in hers.

"Takeshi," she squeezed, solemn and loving. "What are some things you like about baseball?"

"Mom, I don't-"

"I know," she placated, brushing her thumb over his hands in small circles. "I know. You don't have to tell me why you love it. Just, what are some things about it that make you happy? That you enjoy."

He smiled at her but one stern look had it melting away. Instead, he looked down at their hands, feeling a little embarrassed about holding hands with his mom. "I don't know. I like hanging out and having fun. I like…" he flushed, shrugging half-heartedly. "I like being good at it. I like how my friends think I'm cool when I do things really well."

"There is nothing wrong with that," Aiko assured him softly. "Being proud of yourself and the things you can do is a good thing Takeshi. And I am so, so proud of _you _for knowing you like that feeling but not letting it make you look down on others."

"Why would I do that?" he asked, looking completely confused.

Aiko smiled. "You're such a good boy Takeshi."

"Mom," he huffed, looking embarrassed.

"Sorry, sorry," she laughed. "Now, what are some things you don't like about baseball?"

He looked even more confused. "Mom. I love baseball."

"That doesn't mean there can't be things you don't like about it," she pointed out. "I love your father with all my heart but I don't like when he rolls in his sleep and nearly crushes me. Or how he always sneaks over to Nana's home to bribe Lavina-chan for sweets." She looked down. "I hate how he tries to hide the things that hurt him."

"Oh," he breathed. His shoulders dipped, as though the mere realization that he can hate things about something he loves was a weight lifted.

Aiko was struck once again with the thought of how young he was. Tsuyoshi had been right, Takeshi was growing right before their very eyes and soon he would be an adult in his own right. But he wasn't there yet. He didn't know, hadn't _found,_ the most important parts of himself yet.

Takeshi pursed his lips, thinking hard. "I don't like… having to work so hard all the time. I like the challenge but sometimes I want it to be as easy as everyone says I make it look. I don't like that it keeps me from hanging out with my friends. Kyoko keeps trying to sneak me some of her lunch. She says I'm not eating enough for how much I'm working but I never have time to sit and eat it with her. I think… I think I really hurt Tsuna's feelings too. A lot. I keep turning him down, and he doesn't ask as much anymore. He sees the other guys go out to fun places all the time, even though I keep saying I can't. If it were me, I would think I was avoiding him. He probably thinks I don't want to be around him."

Aiko doubted that. Tsuna knew Takeshi. He would be disappointed, sure, but Aiko would bet money that he was more concerned about Takeshi than anything else.

"He knows you're a hard worker," she tapped his hands to get his attention. "And you have never lied to him about what you would be doing instead. I'm sure he was just worried about you."

"Yeah," he sighed, glancing at the blue scarf folded up on his desk. "He was."

"Alright," she patted his hands once before pulling her own back towards her. "I can't help you find the answers to everything. I wouldn't know how, that's only something you can decide, but I can help you draw some lines to things I notice."

"Like what?" he tilted his head.

"You said you liked being around your friends and having fun. You also said practice prevents you from hanging out with your friends and having fun," she pointed out the contradiction. Takeshi blinked. "You said you like how your friends think you're cool, but when you have to keep turning Tsuna-chan away I bet you don't feel very cool. Right?"

He winced a bit, rubbing the back of his head. "...right."

"What I'm noticing is that you are placing _everything_ onto Baseball. You're making it the one most important thing in your life, but everyone has a lot of things that are important to them. If you put everything into just one then you'll lose the others."

He scratched his neck, thinking about it.

Aiko tapped her fingers along her arms, trying to think of the best way to explain it. "Think of our sushi. We decide we want to make the absolute best sushi roll the world has ever seen so we put everything into making it. It turns out great and everyone thinks it's delicious. We keep making it, over and over, until one day we realize it's the only thing we have. We used all the ingredients for that one roll and lost everything else that made this shop special. We should have split everything, tried to balance it all out. You can either have one really, really good roll, or a bunch of smaller tasty ones and a successful shop."

"Oh!" Takeshi looked stunned. "That makes sense!"

"Good!" Aiko clapped a bit. She'd been worried the metaphor was just her rambling nonsense near the end. "I think you should take a little bit of the effort you put into baseball and place it somewhere else. Try new things, be around the people you love. The more you learn about yourself the sooner you'll find the answer you're looking for."

"Okay," he nodded, looking at his hands like it was his first time seeing them. "They keep making me go home early now, so I have a lot more free time."

"Mh-hm," she hummed, waiting for him to think it through.

"I could… hang out with Tsuna after school now! And eat lunch with Kyoko!"

She tried not to smile _too_ big. "That sounds like it would be fun."

"Hayato's in town too, it's been so long since we've all hung out. I bet Kyoya would join in if I teased him enough."

"Oh, uh," Aiko stuttered. "Is it really such a good idea to tease him?"

"Yeah, it's fun," he waved away her concerns.

"Well, if you're sure," she laughed stiltedly. "Hayato-chan's welcome party is tonight, let's start with that." She stood, brushing out the wrinkles in her dress.

Takeshi hopped up, grinning while he bounced on the balls of his feet. "I'll help get everything ready!"

"That sounds like a conclusion," the door slid open. Tsuyoshi stepped in with a plate of brownies in hand.

"Tsuyoshi, tell me you weren't- where did you get those?!" Aiko reached for the plate but he lifted them above her head.

"Lavina."

Aiko jumped, smacking his shoulder when he just stretched up on his toes. She gasped, betrayed when Takeshi reached up and grabbed one of the brownies. He smiled at her when he took a bite.

"Takeshi! It's almost dinner time!"

"Sorry mom," he said, not sorry at all. "Lavina-san's brownies are the best."

"That's right!" Tsuyoshi boomed, urging his son to have another. "Not eating them as soon as possible is like an insult to Lavina! We have to Aiko. See reason."

Aiko pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing heavily. A sweet smell filled her nose. Opening her eyes she looked from the plate in front of her face to the two sets of puppy dog eyes blinking at her.

She pursed her lips.

"...Oh, fine," she grabbed one. They cheered, making her grin. "But just this once! You two are going to ruin your teeth."

"It's baking day on Thursday," Tsuyoshi reminded her.

"Baking days don't count," she countered, melting a little bit at the delicious goodness filling her mouth. "They're like a- a national holiday."

Her boys mumbled their agreement around mouthfuls of brownies.

"Is everything ready Dad?" Takeshi wondered.

"Almost. Just waiting for the desserts."

Aiko froze, second brownie already half eaten. "Tsuyoshi."

"Mh-hm?"

"Were these supposed to be for the party?"

The man paused. "...Nana said it'd be fine."

"Right," Aiko nodded. "If Lavina says anything, we blame it on Nana."

They nodded. "Agreed."

-00-

"Welcome!"

Hayato ducked his head, red all the way to his ears when everyone cheered. Lavina tugged on his arm excitedly, walking him around the tables.

"This is Aiko-chan and Tsuyoshi-kun, they're Takeshi-kun's parents. And that's Natsuki-chan and her husband Kouske-kun. They're Kyoya-kun's parents. Oh, have you met Kyoko-chan? I think she went with everyone once. That's her brother Ryohei-kun, they're mother couldn't make it tonight but I'm sure you'll love her too. She is a very hard worker, and she's so nice. Have you-"

Nana leaned against the wall, plate full and a smile on his face. Lavina was a ball of energy, Hayato trailing after her and stuttering out polite greetings. Tsuna, Takeshi, and Kyoko were off in the corner whispering and giggling to each other. Tsuna looked happier than he had in weeks. Nana couldn't see Ryohei but he could certainly hear him off somewhere in the back. Judging by the loud proclamations of a boxing match he assumed the teen had found Kyoya who had slipped away from all the noise the second he stepped in.

"The cake is delicious."

Nana glanced down at Reborn who had his own little plate. He was balanced on the top of a chair to match his height easier.

"It better be, I wasn't even planning on making anything today. Tsuyoshi and Lavina wanted to take care of everything."

Nana looked towards the collection of food. He frowned.

"Where is the cake?"

"That was just for me."

"Since when?!" Nana looked at Lavina, still giddily twirling around in her own little world. "Reborn, that was supposed to be the dessert tonight. I gave Tsuyoshi the brownies for family therapy!"

The little shit smirked up at him before jumping down and disappearing beneath the tables.

"Reborn!" Nana hissed, setting his plate down and ducking to follow. "Reborn, you don't get it! She will literally _skin me."_

Aiko yelped a bit when Nana shoved her leg out of the way so he could continue hunting down the lawn gnome sized devil.

"Nana, what are you doing?!" she whisper-yelled. Tsuyoshi looked around his wife curiously.

"Drop something?"

Nana leaned back, desperate. "Are there any brownies left? Tell me there are some brownies left."

"Oh look, Takeshi is calling us," Aiko stood, erasing Nana's presence from her mind.

Tsuyoshi sent him one pitying look before speed walking away, arm and arm with his accomplice.

"Damn it," Nana cursed under his breath. He was on his own.

Wait.

"Kouske!" he called, careful to avoid Lavian as he scuttled across the floor. "Kouske!"

The man looked around, eyebrow raised.

"Kouske!"

Dark eyes met hazel. His face curdled like milk.

Natsuki, sensing his rampant revulsion, looked up as well.

"...Nana. What are you doing?"

"I need your help."

Kouske rolled his eyes. "What did you mess up?"

Nana refrained from flipping him off purely because he seriously needed a miracle right then.

"If you started, like, right now how much desert based goodies could you make? Without, uh, without letting Lavina know?"

Kouske looked up at the ceiling, blinking slowly. "You ate the brownies, didn't you?"

"No!" Nana waved his hands frantically. "I swear, I didn't touch them!"

"The cake."

"Baby food."

He squinted at him.

"What do we get in return?" Natsuki draped herself elegantly over Kouske's shoulder, looking down at her with an amused tick of her eyebrow.

"Uhhh," Nana scrambled. What could he possibly give a Hibari? "I-I don't know yet. Why can't this be like the mafia thing? You didn't ask for anything for that one!"

"Oh, don't worry," she smirked, sharp and promising. "We'll cash in that one when we're ready."

...How many deals with the devil had he made that he wasn't aware of?

"Cool," he nodded, shoving the fear of future dictatorship in a tiny little box never to be opened. "Awesome. That won't give me nightmares, I'm sure. Thanks."

Kouske leaned back as Natsuki folded her arms across his shoulders, smirking.

"Oh geez," Tsuna walked past, a plate piled with sushi in hand. He looked at the couple and blinked rapidly as though to get rid of sunspots. "Dad, do you have-?"

"Here you go buddy," Nana reached into his jacket's inside pocket and pulled out a pair of sunglasses. "Having fun?"

"Yeah, it's really nice to be able to talk to everyone." He paused, slipping the sunglasses over his nose. "Why are you on the floor Dad?"

Nana, who had long since lost his dignity, pulled one knee up so he was in typical bow given to royalty. "I am currently begging for Kouske to save my tiny soul by gifting us all with heavenly treats."

"Um," he shuffled, wobbling back and forth in confusion. "Your life?"

"From Lavina."

"Oh." he twisted a bit to see the silver-haired woman, currently sharing what had to be a very embarrassing childhood story with Tsuyoshi if Hayato's face was anything to go by.

"Son."

Tsuna jumped at the almost creepily deep voice Nana called him with.

"W-what?"

"Defend your father."

Tsuna immediately stepped back, shaking his head. He had seen Lavina get angry once and even if it hadn't been directed at him it still gave him nightmares sometimes. Standing between her and his Dad would traumatize him for life.

Nana laughed, reaching out to pull him closer. "Not against Lavina, I wouldn't do that to you. No, I need your help here. I need you to ask Kouske to save me."

The look of pure apathy on the tall man's face when Tsuna looked up at him from underneath his hair said exactly how well that plan would work.

"Uh, Dad... " he rubbed his fingers along the plate in his hands nervously. "I-if you couldn't I don't think I could."

"Don't be ridiculous," Nana tugged him until he was kneeling too. "We can combine our powers. Here, put your hands like this. Like you're praying or something. Now- oh. Hold on. Do you mind if I take the sunglasses for just a second?"

"S-sure, it's just a little bright. It's not too bad."

"Okay, make your eyes really big. Yeah, just like that. Now, in the name of your father, beg for my life."

Tsuna took a minute to actually meet the couple's eyes. Nana copied his pose, making his eyes equally as wide.

"U-Um, Hibari-san. W-would you mind helping my Dad? I know you probably don't want to, but we'd be really grateful if you did. A-and you always make the best desserts, I'm sure everyone would be really happy if they got to try some."

Kouske made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat, turning to look away. Natsuki huffed out a laugh, patting his chest as she pulled back.

Kouske tapped his fingers along the arms of his chair. Nana felt his hopes rise at the thoughtful expression.

"Michelle will be in town soon," Kouske looked back at Natsuki. She nodded, grinning into her drink. He turned back to the ridiculous pair in front of him. "I will fix your mistakes on one condition."

"Name it," Nana didn't even hesitate.

"One of the friends we mentioned. She is an… accountant and in a few days will need a place to stay. She'll stay with you."

"Ohh," Nana winced. "Putting aside how nerve-wracking it is for you to hesitate on this lady's job title I, uh, already have some guests coming. I don't think there will be enough room."

"There will be."

"What? No!" he scowled. "We've talked about this man, you can't just add onto my house cause you think it's too small. Why can't she stay with you? You've got a _mansion."_

"My house is for my family and I," he explained coldly.

"And my house isn't?" Nana held his hand against his chest, insulted.

Kouske rolled his eyes. "You try to adopt every human being with even the smallest moral compass that crosses your path. Whether Michelle was to stay with you or not, you would eventually need the room."

Tsuna side-eyed his Dad, before looking away. "...He's got a point Dad."

"_Tsu-kun," _Nana gasped. "There are only five of us at home right now! And Ryu-kun and his husband will only be staying for a few months at most."

"Seven is a lot of people," he mumbled back.

"And those are only the ones that agreed to stay," Natsuki threw in her two cents. "That doesn't include the ones you have tried to take in."

"When have I ever-"

"The children from Italy."

Nana froze for a moment. "Kyoya, that little _snitch_."

"That is the deal," Kouske crossed his legs, looking down his nose at them. He looked like _he_ should be the one in charge of the mafia.

"So," Nana dragged out the word. "If I let your 'friend' stay at my house you will not only save me from Lavina's wrath but expand my home."

"Yes."

"Tsu-kun, tell me I'm not just imagining it."

"You're not."

"Right," Nana nodded. "You two seriously need to learn more about equivalent exchange. How is this fair to you at _all_?"

Natsuki finished the last sushi roll that had been on her plate before she and her husband stood in unnatural synchronicity. "Just because you do not see the benefits we get does not mean they are not there."

"I'm pretty sure they're _not there_," he stressed. "_How _does doing all this stuff for _free_ do anything good for you?"

"You'll see one day," Natsuki promised.

Leaving the two Sawadas kneeling on the ground the pair disappeared into the back of the store.

"Dad," Tsuna leaned towards him, wide eyes bright with concern. "I think you're getting trapped."

"Oh Tsu-kun," he ruffled his son's hair, slipping the sunglasses over the bridge of his nose as he did so. "I've been trapped for a long time."

Nana wondered, with all the deals he had made, how much of his soul was left. Shaking off the morbid thoughts like a true practitioner of escapism Nana urged Tsuna to go back to his friends. Hayato was with them now, arguing fiercely with a laughing Takeshi. Kyoko looked pleased as punch to be there, eyes glittering as she watched all the happy interactions around her.

Nana brushed off his pant legs, looking around the room. Aiko was talking to Ryohei, who had randomly reappeared, but it looked a bit like a lecture so Nana opted to stay away for now. Tsuyoshi was restocking the food table. Lavina was…

Where was Lavina?

"Hayato-kun!" he called out, waving for the silver-haired boy's attention. He turned from trying to strangle Takeshi. "Where did your- uh, where did Lavina go?"

Something odd flashed across his eyes but Nana was too far away to accurately guess what it was.

"She said she had to go to the bathroom. She should be back in a second."

"Okay, thank you. Carry on with… whatever it is you're doing."

"Gladly," he snarled, shaking Takeshi as the other boy laughed. Tsuna cried out in distress, waving his arms frantically. Kyoko smiled.

They'd be fine. Probably.

Ducking into the bathroom Nana frowned when, in the sudden absence of crowd noise, she could hear labored breathing.

"Lavina?" he called softly, approaching the furthest stall.

The door thudded a few times, the sound coming from the lower half slowly traveling higher. The silver lock on the door turned slowly until it naturally swung open once the resistance was gone. Nana reached out, fingers curling around the edge and pulling it all the way back.

"Oh Lavina," he squeezed in as best he could, kneeling next to her hunched over form. She peered up at him from the corner of her eyes when he pulled her hair back.

Her lips twitched, mouth opening to give a greeting only to be choked back as she retched. Nana held her hair up with one hand, steadily rubbing soothing circles into her back with the other.

"You're okay," he murmured. "I've got you, you're okay."

Nana breathed loudly, in and out until she was able to copy him. Slowly the retching subsided, her stomach long since empty. When she was done she collapsed backward. Nana shifted so she could lean up against the wall.

Nana brushed all of her hair back, thumb tracing underneath her eyes to get rid of the tears that had fallen there. She was covered in a cold sweat and trembling.

"I'm going to go get your medicine, okay? Is it in your purse?"

She nodded, too weak to speak. Nana shrugged out of his jacket, laying it across her to keep her warm.

"I'll be right back," he promised.

Nana speed walked out and across the room. He stuck to the walls, trying not to call attention to himself. There really weren't a lot of people, considering it was just their friends in a restaurant that could hold two times their guest list but they were all busy goofing around so hopefully he could get to the purse and back before anyone thought to question him. Lavina had been looking forward to this party for months. She'd be devastated if she thought she ruined it for Hayato. Which was ridiculous, of course, but Nana knew she'd think of it that way regardless.

Tsuyoshi noticed him since the table with all of their belongings was right next to the food but Nana waved him off when he started walking over. He looked confused for a second, face clearing to concern when he watched Nana pull out a little orange bottle from Lavina's purse. He tossed a water bottle over to him. Nana caught it, nodding in thanks.

"I think it's time to show you kids how to make _real_ sushi," Tsuyoshi boomed, walking behind the counter and pulling out his best cooking knives.

The teens immediately gravitated towards him (Nana prayed it was because of the promise of cool tricks and not because of their penchant for going _towards_ danger instead of away).

"What kind of EXTREME tricks do you have?!"

"I'm glad you asked!" Tsuyoshi matched the screaming question with his own boisterous laugh. "Watch and learn kids!"

Aiko appeared at Nana's elbow, Lavina's wheelchair in both her hands.

Nana held the door open for her, briefly looking up and catching narrow green eyes. Hayato looked from him to the wheelchair in Aiko's hands. His face crumpled, eyes wide.

Nana waved at him, waiting for him to meet his eyes again.

'She's okay,' he mouthed, showing the medicine bottle then pointing at the clock. She needed to take her medication every four hours and it had been almost that since they left the house.

The tension in his shoulders dropped but didn't disappear. Nana didn't blame him.

'She'll be right back,' he smiled, tapping his wrist and holding up five fingers.

Hayato frowned but nodded, slowly turning back to the others.

Aiko was helping Lavina settle into the chair, Nana's jacket now properly pulled on. Nana knelt in front of her and popped open the bottle. Shaking out two pills he opened the water too and handed them to her.

"Thank you," she whispered, voice hoarse. With shaking hands, she lifted the pills to her mouth. Aiko helped guide the water bottle to her lips so she could drink. Nana counted off the seconds in her head. The new one's Lavina was on were supposed to help nausea and pain. He had an inhaler in the pocket of his jacket if she was still having troubles breathing, and the medicine did nothing for the weakness in her legs, but so long as she had her wheelchair she would be fine in a few minutes.

"I'm okay," Lavina breathed in deep four minutes and thirty seconds later. "I'm okay. I just- I just pushed myself too far."

Nana rushed forwards, pulling her into a tight embrace when tears started to prick the corner of her eyes.

"I-I'm sorry," she sobbed, burying her face into his shoulder.

"It's okay," he assured her, fingers tangling into her hair. No matter how much he tried to convince her otherwise she always felt like she needed to apologize. "You were so happy to see Hayato have fun, of course it was hard to realize what was happening. It's not your fault Lavina, you just wanted to make him happy."

"I-I did," she choked. "H-he's so big now N-Nana. He's so big."

"He is."

"I wasn't- I wasn't t-there for him. H-he was all a-alone and I-"

"Shh, shh," Nana brushed his hand through her hair. "You were there in every way that mattered Lavina. It's why he's here. It's why he was so happy to see you. He knows you love him with all your heart. That's what's important."

Aiko went to the sink and wetted a paper towel while Lavina hiccuped and cried. She smiled, soft and sad, when Nana looked up at her. She handed him the paper towel and motioned towards the door.

Nana nodded. Hayato was probably about to break down the door and the others were most likely wondering where they were.

"Hey," he whispered when the door swung shut behind her, a flash of silver peeking over her shoulder. "Lean back a bit okay?"

Lavina pulled away, still breathing unevenly but steadily calming down. Nana fished around in the pockets of his jacket, nudging Lavina to lean away so he could pull out the inhaler easier. She took it gratefully, breathing in deeply as the spray hit the back of her throat.

"There you go," Nana encouraged, bringing the paper towel up and wiping the tears and sweat from her face. "Damn, that makeup Salvi sent you is crazy powerful. I don't even see any smudges."

The watery laugh he got in response was enough to make his heart drag itself out of the coiling pits of dread it had fallen into.

"He spoils me," she whispered, delicate fingers folding over the inhaler and lowering it to her lap.

"Rightfully so," Nana nodded, brushing over her face a few more times. He got up to grab a dry one before tilting her chin up so he could wipe off any remaining moisture. "There. Good as new."

Lavina shifted, tucking the inhaler away before grabbing his hands. "Thank you."

Nana leaned down, placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Always Lavina. Always."

When Nana wheeled Lavina out Hayato was on them in an instant.

"M-Miss Lavina," he hovered, hands fluttering. "Are you okay? You're pale."

The unadulterated joy Lavina had earlier returned to her face as she held his hands to stop their nervous twitching. "I'm fine sweetheart, just a little tired. I'm not used to walking around so much."

"Here," Nana spoke up, stepping away and motioning towards the handles. "Why don't the two of you get something to eat? I don't think I've seen you by the food table even once."

"That's true!" Hayato perked up, quickly taking Nana's place and wheeling her away. Lavina waved at Nana, still a little shaky but stable.

Nana waved back, a shuddering breath escaping before he could help it.

"How is she?"

"JESUS fucking- Kouske!" Nana nearly kicked him when he appeared next to her.

He blinked slowly.

"Don't you blink at me," Nana scowled, patting at his heart to help it calm down.

"Humans need to blink Nana."

"Not the way you do it."

With a very put upon sigh Kouske decided to be the bigger man and ignore him. "Is Lavina well?"

"Yeah," Nana folded his arms, downcast. "She took her medicine and she's calmed down. I think she was just moving around too much."

Kouske hummed, nodding. They both watched her, happily explaining to Hayato which sushi was the best and what sauces were good pairings.

"Here."

Nana leaned back from the large platter he shoved towards them (he had _not _been holding that a second ago, what the fuck). It was filled with delicious, delectable brownies set up in a pyramid.

"You are a beautiful, beautiful man," Nana cried, sweeping the plate right out of his hands.

"Your tune changes so quickly when food is involved."

"Food," Nana started dancing away, "is _gorgeous. _It deserves all the good vibes."

He didn't bother waiting for a response, probably wouldn't have gotten one anyway. Skipping over to the counter to set the plate down for everyone to enjoy Nana felt the fears of that evening draaaaiiiin away.

"Are those my brownies?"

The cold, clammy hands of death gripped his very soul.

"Y-yup!"

Lavina waved him over happily. "I was wondering where they were. Let Hayato have one!"

"Of course," Nana said, smiling like his soul wasn't trying to escape his body. He walked over, swaying his arms to make it look like gravity was the one forcing the tray to wobble instead of his shaky hands.

"Thank you," Hayato bowed his head (waaaay too deeply for a brownie, but Nana wouldn't stop him from being polite). He grabbed one, biting into it under Lavina's watchful eye.

Hayato's eyes lit up like a firecracker.

"This is from when I was a kid!" He grinned, face suddenly much younger. Nana blinked away the vision of a teen Lavina raving about the palm readings she gave to their classmates.

Lavina clasped her hands together, delighted. "You remember! Do they still taste okay?"

"These are my favorites," he assured her, grabbing two more and setting them on his plate for later. He made sure to grab one for Lavina too, gently placing it in front of her with a sheepish look.

Nana laughed, stepping back to leave them to their moment. Natsuki was at the counter when she got there.

"Hey," Nana sidled up next to her, lowering his voice. "Did Kouske use Lavina's recipe for these?"

"No," Natsuki piled a few branches of grapes onto her plate to snack on. "Those were made by Lavina just a few days ago."

Nana set the plate down harshly, turning to glare at the tall man tucked away in a corner. He lifted his glass in return, smirking.

"You mean he had some of her stuff from the start?! Why the hell did he make me- ohhhh," Nana hissed. "He just wanted to make look like an idiot!"

"Probably," Natsuki agreed. "He seems to keep forgetting the special power you and your son have so he was a little disappointed in that regard."

He looked at her, bemused. "Special power?"

"If you don't know what it is I think I'd best keep that to myself," she popped a grape in her mouth. "Either way, the contractors should be done by the time you return home. Your sleeping hours will remain unimpeded."

And then she near waltzed away, before Nana could ask what the hell _that _meant.

He figured it out for himself when they made it home later. Lavina was asleep in her wheelchair, Nana's jacket buttoned up to her neck and an extra jacket from Hayato covering her the second she nodded off. He was the one pushing her chair, chatting with Tsuna and Takeshi (who had tagged along for fun, of course) and occasionally sending his mother such heartbreakingly fond looks that Nana thought he might tear up a bit. He was pretty sure Hayato knew, there were too many times he hesitated on the 'm' of Miss Lavina, but for whatever reason, he was keeping that information to himself.

Tsuna was nodding off himself as they walked, Takeshi's arm thrown over his shoulder despite Hayato's _vehement _protests. It was a little odd to see him so upset over an arm when Reborn was literally using Tsuna's head as a mattress but considering it was Reborn it was probably a good idea to ignore that part. Nana would roll out the extra futons he had invested in for both of the boys in Tsuna's room. He was sure his son would appreciate a sleepover and he didn't want to send Takeshi back so late at night. Namimori was a very safe town but the paranoia he had grown up with in his last life still made him hesitant to trust kids alone in the late hours. Too much baggage tied with that scene set.

Nana yawned, stretching his arms above his head just a few paces behind them all. The night was cool but warm enough he didn't mind going jacketless. He had his head tilted back, star gazing.

_"They've stopped."_

It was only Snake's warning that prevented him from crashing into Tsuna and Takeshi. Nana side-stepped them quickly, shaking his head to get rid of the sleepiness fuzzing up his vision.

"What's up kids?"

Tsuna was squinting up at their house, confused. Hayato and even Takeshi were tilting their heads as though to get a better look at it.

"Dad," Tsuna said slowly. "Was our house always that... wide?"

Oh no.

Natsuki's words rushed to the forefront of his mind. Nana looked up, counting what was supposed to be two windows on the bottom floor of the front of the house...

He counted four.

"_Damn_ they work fast," Nana balked at the expansion. "When did they even start this?" It didn't even look like it had been recently added. The _roof_ looked like it had always covered the extra square footage, how the _fuck-_

It was like someone had gone into the Sims creation box and just stretched the house out a bit to make some extra room inside. Nana couldn't even cross that possibility off the list because how _else_ was this kind of shit supposed to happen?

Lavina snorted, hair laying across her face like that one woman in the shampoo commercial Nana had seen the other day.

"Let's just... go to sleep," Nana sighed, shaking his head.

"But Dad-"

"It's pointless to question it Tsu-kun. We'll never get the answer and it's already done. Let's just be grateful for the space and get ready for bed. We can deal with it in the morning."

"...Okay."

_"Depending on how the space was divided this would add roughly eight extra rooms," _Snake hypothesized. _"I am curious to know who their contractor is."_

"You and me both," Nana yawned, kicking off his shoes inside the door and blinking blearily at what used to be a wall where the stairs connected to go up. Now the stairs were a bit wider, railings on both sides, and the main hall had been made into a _main _hall. A fancy looking one. Carpet was the same, nice and soft and brown, which didn't make sense since it spanned the new part of the room too without any noticeable breaks. When the boy's followed him upstairs, Lavina lifted easily into his arms, they all peered down the much longer hallway at the top. Besides the three bedrooms and a bathroom, there were now at least two other doors and the hallway _turned _into what had to be another long hallway.

"Tomorrow," Nana reminded them. "And Hayato-kun, since we apparently have all this room now you can pick one of them tomorrow. I know it gets kind of cramped bunking with Tsu-kun _and _Reborn."

"I couldn't-"

"You can and you will," Nana yawned again, turning to Lavina's room. He tucked Lavina in, shucking her shoes off into the corner and using the solution on her vanity to wipe off her makeup. Once he was done he went to help the boys get the futons ready before disappearing into the folds of his blanket.

He'd have to go buy paint. Lavina would be adamant about painting them herself, even if the painting jobs were already done.

_"Goodnight Nana."_

"G'night Snake."

-00-

None of the walls were painted. Nana should have expected as much, they knew Lavina well. The last four days had been spent getting all the rooms ready. There were four new bedrooms upstairs with another bathroom, fully equipped, and five downstairs for a total of nine guest rooms. Well, eight since Hayato claimed the one right next to Tsuna's. The piano room probably didn't count as a guest room either.

The _Piano room. _Nana should have expected it, really. Kouske adored Lavina. He had been trying to force a piano into their home since the day they first met, of _course _he would take advantage of Nana's main excuse of too little room being useless now. It was a gorgeous piano though. And Lavina's happily little squeaks as she patted it like a puppy made it hard to judge the man too hard. Nana took a video of her reaction and sent it to him.

He never replied but Natsuki sent him a text later that day saying he'd made Kouske's day and thanking him. Thanked _Nana. _As though they weren't the ones to orchestrate all of this.

Nana would never understand them.

Speaking of which, how many people were they expecting Nana to house? Should he just start running a bed & breakfast at this point? He didn't need the money, but the rest of this space felt like a waste to not use.

...Maybe he would start looking at adopting.

The sound of the doorbell knocked him from thoughts of cute little ugly babies. He twisted the knob so hard it almost popped off the wall, stepping out of the shower as fast as humanly possible without using his Flames.

"I've got it!" Nana screeched, towel patting himself down frantically. "No one touch the damn door, I've got it!"

"Ohh~," Lavina's voice sing-songed from somewhere down the hall. "That sounds like you're hiding secrets!"

"Lavina no!" Nana nearly tripped over his own feet, pant legs getting caught around his knees as he tried to hop around. He was having some serious flashbacks to when they were both sixteen and he had a date. They'd arrived early, while Nana was still getting ready, and _Lavina_ decided to 'check if they were the right feeling for you Nana, you're my roommate, I need to take care of these things'. Nana shivered, shaking the memory of wide eyes and far too invasive questions (and answers, he really didn't need to know those things about his first date).

"Hello~!" Lavina chirped. "Welcome to our home. Nana will be out in just a moment, can I get either of you something to drink?"

Much softer, but distinctly masculine voices replied. Nana strained to hear what they were saying but they were clearly not a part of Lavina's 'let the whole damn world know what's going on' agenda.

"Of course, of course. Then you two are the ones who will be staying with us? It's a pleasure to meet you, my name is Lavina."

More responses. Nana was nearly done until he looked down and realized that in his haste he had put his shirt on backward. With a cry of frustration, he ripped it off.

"That's so kind of you to say, I'm happy my music was able to reach you. Please dears, just Lavina is fine. If you're going to be staying here then that means this is your home, which means we are family now."

Soft rumbles of hesitant agreement. Nana took one look at his bedraggled, medusa wet hair and debated on just chopping it all off then and there.

"Don't even think about it Nana," Lavina called warningly. "You promised I could do your hair for a full year! If you cut it you have to do the penalty!"

"Ugh," Nana slapped his palms on the sink. Damn that woman. She totally cheated too! Nana would have totally won that bet if Lavina hadn't bribed Tsuyoshi to help her, the witch.

By the time he made himself presentable, long hair tied up in a bun to avoid any more hassle, they were all sitting around the main rooms coffee table (that they had just gotten yesterday because they had the room for it now) with a tray of snacks and a drink in every hand.

"Sorry that took so long," Nana apologized once he was in the room. The two men sitting across from Lavina looked down at his dark grey shirt (with a little ghost wearing sunglasses under the words 'the Boo-st shirt you'll ever see') before looking back up at his face.

The taller of the two coughed into his hand while the other looked down at his drink with renewed interest.

The tall one was nicely tanned, short brown hair swept to the side over light green eyes. He had freckles spattered across the bridge of his nose and up his cheekbones with a clear dimple on the left side. The very nice black hoodie he had on contrasted the jeans with a tear in the knee but Nana thought the look worked. The other man was dressed in a black suit jacket and slacks, no tie with the jacket unbuttoned to show the white dress shirt underneath. He looked fancy as hell.

"I'm Sawada Nana," he paused before bowing like he normally would and extended his hand instead, reaching the taller man first.

"Hanazawa Ryu. I've heard a lot about you Nana-san."

Apparently so since he already knew he liked being called by his given name.

Ryu smiled. Nana blinked. The slightly higher curl of the left side of his lips, the dip of the head, and the crinkles around the corners of his eyes were the mirror image of his grandmother.

"You look like Hanazawa-san," Nana smiled back.

The tall man flustered a bit. "Oh. Ah, thank you. Most people say I look like my mom, but I guess that makes sense."

Finishing the introduction Nana turned to the other man. He stood, taking Nana's hand to shake and placing the other one on the back of Nana's hand in a show of extra gratitude.

"Hanazawa Shouto. Thank you for sharing your home with us."

Nana noted the weight behind his words, equal to the weight of the bags under his eyes. "Of course, you're practically family. You two are welcome whenever you like."

Shouto shook his hand once more, the tense skin around the corners of his eyes relaxing a bit. "...Thank you."

Nana looked between the two of them and their nearly empty drinks. "As much as I would love to get to know the two of you a little more you both look exhausted. Why don't we show you your room and we can all talk over dinner? Lavina and I have a few more things to do around the house anyway and you can take the time to settle in."

"That would be wonderful," Ryu agreed right away, relieved. He grabbed Shouto's hand which made the other man's tension drain even further.

"Cool. Lavina, would you mind...?" Nana motioned towards the cups and plates.

"Mh-hm," she nodded, happily gathering them all together. Ryu looked like he wanted to help but Shouto pulled him away to help with the luggage before he could offer.

Nana led them down the hall of the main floor (they had a main floor hall now) and to their room. It was tucked in the corner with one window looking out into the backyard.

"I hope this is okay. If you'd prefer a different room we have others." That was so weird to say.

"This is fine," Ryu smiled politely, setting his suitcase down. "Nana-san, I want to thank you again for inviting us. I'm not sure how much my grandmother told you but- well it means a lot to us. Truly."

Shouto was staring at him, eyes narrow. "...How much did she tell you?"

"Shouto," Ryu nudged him with a frown.

"Not much," Nana promised. He leaned back, checking to make sure no one was walking around. The boys had been exploring the new rooms all day but it looked like they had gone out earlier so the coast was probably clear. "She mentioned you were both not sleeping well and that she thought someone might be trying to hurt you. She didn't say who or why but I can promise you're safe here. Namimori is a good town, and there are a lot of people here who make sure it stays that way. If anything happens they will help you."

"That includes you?" Shouto looked him up and down again, eyes flickering over the cartoon on his shirt again before he shook his head and met his eyes again.

Nana grinned. "That includes me. You two just relax and take whatever time you need. My room is upstairs, they're all labeled with our names, but my phone number is on the fridge if I'm not here. Lavina and my son can help you too if they're around. Do you two need anything before I go?"

"No, thank you," Ryu smiled again. Nana nodded and closed the door behind him.

Lavina was off humming upstairs, probably painting the last room they had left. The forest green paint was missing from their large stack of various colors they'd piled together a few days ago. Nana needed to go shopping, restock everything to make sure everyone was fed. It was Tuesday, so Lavina would need some things for Baking Day too.

He'd go tomorrow. He didn't want to leave Lavina alone in case she exerted herself and it was a lot of fun hanging out and painting things together.

Decision made, Nana wandered upstairs towards the singing.

-00-

**The Next Day**

"I'm going to run to the store, I'll be right back!" Nana called, slipping on her shoes.

Ryu peeked his head around the corner leading to the hallway. "Would you mind if I came with you Nana-san?"

She blinked, tying a hoodie around her waist in case it got too cold for her spaghetti strapped cactus and sunflower dress. "Not at all. Is Shouto-san coming too?"

Ryu's eyes crinkled as he hopped down the stairs. He didn't say anything about the lack of formality with their names so Nana took that as the go ahead. If they were being targeted people would probably recognize their last name sooner than their first. "No, I think he's going to be sleeping until tomorrow at least."

"Poor guy," Nana grimaced. "Well, we can grab something he likes for when he wakes up then."

"That would be lovely."

He had on a simple blue, short-sleeved button up and light brown pants. He slipped his sandals on and held the door open for her when they started to leave.

"Thanks," Nana smiled, recognizing Hanazawa-san's lessons from a mile away.

"You're welcome," he smiled back.

Nana took the long way, pointing out different places for the couple to try out later. "That's my friend's shop," she stood on the tips of her toes, squinting in through the window from across the street. They looked crowded, she couldn't even really see the counter or Aiko walking around. "We should come back to pick up some dinner when we're done. They'd love to meet you."

Ryu looked up at the sign, amused. "Just the 'Sushi Shop'?"

"Just the Sushi Shop."

When they got to the store Nana beelined for the shopping carts. "We'll have to stock up, there is another guest coming to stay soon too."

Ryu had his hands held behind his back, head twisting around curiously. "You open your home to many people. That's very kind of you."

Nana decided not to mention how this particular visitor was the effect of blackmail. Probably wouldn't make a good impression.

"Happy to help, and we have the room." Damn Hibari. "Do either of you have any allergies?"

"No," he glanced over at the fruit stands on the left side of the entrance. Nana took that as a sign of where to start.

They perused the aisles, keeping up a steady stream of small talk to get to know each other.

"You are very strong," Ryu complimented when their cart was practically full to the brim of Tetris packed goodness.

Nana beamed, purposefully flexing her arms a bit to make her shoulder and back muscles stand out against the white straps of her dress. "Thanks! I fight the devil on a regular basis."

Ryu looked startled and concerned.

"Uh, I mean, I spar with people who are scarily strong. That's what I meant."

They descended into an awkward, stilted silence.

"-I don't need a place to stay," the woman in the next aisle over said. She spoke softly, a light accent hidden in her voice. Nana felt bad for eavesdropping, but it was kind of hard to when that was the only sound in this now very uncomfortable store. She really needed to start remembering that people outside of Namimori had no idea how bat shit crazy the Hibari family was. Usually, one mention of 'beating back Satan' would make people think of the looming guardians of their town on principle and everything would make sense.

Not so, with tourists.

Ryu still looked confused. His head was tilted, as though he were listening for something.

"That is very kind of them, and I appreciate the offer, but I am fine on my own. No. They already have plenty of people to provide for, I do not need to be one of them when I can easily care for myself."

This woman seemed cool as a cucumber. She kept arguing with whoever she was talking to but her voice never raised higher than how it started and there was no inflection in her tone to show if she was irritated. She sounded more like… well, more like someone shopping for groceries on a sunny day.

"Natsuki-sama, please. I would rather-"

The woman turned the corner right when the name 'Natsuki-sama' processed in Nana's brain. It was probably a coincidence but…

"Michelle?" Ryu broke out into a wide grin, stepping forward quickly towards the tall, chocolate skinned woman. She looked up from her phone, perfectly formed eyebrows rising in surprise. Nana was struck dumb for a moment by the electric mix of blue and green in her eyes.

"Signor Ryu," she shifted her basket down her arm enough to welcome his embrace. "What are you doing in Namimori?"

"Shouto and I are on vacation," he pulled back, dimples deep and smile wide. "Taking some space to figure everything out."

Nana folded her arms over the handle of the cart, trying not to stare too much. She was probably 5'7" or 5'8". A little bit smaller than Ryu. Her thick black hair was pulled back into an elaborate French braid, a singular silver barrette keeping her bangs back and out of her face. She didn't wear any make-up, but Nana doubted she ever had to. Her face was rounded a bit at her high cheekbones but her chin and the bridge of her nose were narrow. Her eyes were circular and naturally wide, showing off the startling color of the iris' perfectly. She wore a professional button-up white shirt and black slacks, the tiny golden pendant hanging from her neck emboldened by the darker skin and light colored collar. Nana would guess... early twenties. Twenty-five or twenty-six, at the oldest. Twenty at the youngest.

"Damn, I wish _my _hair looked that good when I braid it" Nana whispered under her breath, eyes catching on the bag of flour they needed just a few paces down. Trying, and probably failing, to look like she was minding her own business she pushed the cart forward so she could grab it.

"_Nana, that woman-"_

"Is this who you are staying with?"

Nana's fingers slipped, dropping the flour to the ground where it burst at the seams. The white powder scattered across the floor, puffs of clouds flying up and making her cough.

"That's," Nana fanned her hand in front of her to disperse the flour, "t-that's right. Ah man, I'm going to have to pay for that."

"Please," the woman offered her a tissue from her purse, "allow me. It is by no means equal but perhaps it can be a start towards my apology."

"Apology?" Nana frowned. "Oh, and thank you."

She started wiping at her face, fluffing her dress to make whatever got caught in it fall out.

"Yes. I came to Namimori for various reasons but one of them had been to take some of the pressure off of Signor Shouto. If the two of them are here then I'm afraid I've only brought the trouble straight to them."

"What do you mean?" Ryu folded his arms across his chest, expression tight.

Michelle sighed. "Give me just a moment to finish my call and I will happily answer your questions."

"Of course," Ryu bowed back. "I shouldn't have interrupted in the first place."

Michelle's smile was small but easily given. Nana blinked as the tension surrounding them dropped by several degrees. That only ever happened around the Yamamotos.

Huh.

"Hey, Ryu-kun," Nana patted at her hair. The taller man looked over at her. "Would you mind staying with the cart? While we wait for her I'm going to go tell someone about all," she circled her hand at the mess, "this."

"Of course."

He stepped over to take her place. Nana smiled at Michelle sheepishly as she passed, flustering a bit at the amused one she got in return.

Nana took her time getting to the front. They probably had some catching up to do and Nana wanted to once again question the world she lived in. How, _how_, was it possible for pretty much every single person she ever met to look like a model? Some fairytale creature that only rarely, if ever, graced humanity with their presence and yet her life was full of them.

Whatever. She could spend her own life questioning the pure _unfairness_ of everyone else's ethereal beauty or she could appreciate and die with the knowledge that her life was full of the wonders of the world.

She'd go with option two.

"_Nana." _Snake sounded exasperated.

"Hm?" she blinked. "What's up?"

"_Besides the fact that I have been calling for your attention for several minutes now," _he complained, "_I do believe that is the woman that Hibari Kouske mentioned."_

Nana cleared her throat. "Yeaahh, I was wondering that too. At first, I thought her talking to a 'Natsuki' was just a coincidence but her name _is _Michelle and she knows Ryu-san. If she came here to keep them out of trouble she's got to be related to all this somehow."

"_I'm impressed you were able to notice anything with the way you were staring."_

"Shut it," she blushed. "She's really pretty, you can't deny that! And I'm not _that_ dense."

"_Eight years at boarding school," _he drolled, like ticking things off of a list. "_The water park, that one time with the clown, when Tsunayoshi told you he just felt like running around 'freely', Yamamoto Aiko breaking your palm tree headband and blaming it on the wind when there had been nothing greater than a simple breeze for over ten hours, as well as the time-"_

"_Aiko_ broke it?" Nana gapped.

Snake sighed.

"Ma'am?" one of the store clerks called out to her as she passed where he had been putting things away. Nana winced. He probably thought she was crazy, talking to herself. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"There is," she started to nod, her eyes glancing towards the entrance by reflex when the sound of the sliding doors opening reached her ears, "Not! There is not, thank you."

Twisting on her heel Nana walked as quickly and casually as she could back to the last aisle.

"_Those men-"_

"I know," Nana cursed, quickening her pace when she got past the point they could see. She whirled around the corner, making Ryu jump and Michelle tilt her head. "We might have a problem."

"Was I followed?" Michelle wondered absentmindedly. She set her basket on the ground, digging through her purse. Nana's eyes went wide when she pulled out a small gun.

"Whoa, okay then, maybe we shouldn't jump straight to that?" she stepped back, peering around the corner. Two of the large men she had seen earlier were just turning the corner at the opposite side of the store. The last one was either in a different aisle or watching the door.

"It's a tranquilizer gun," Michelle explained, loading in a few darts. "It won't kill them."

"Oh," Nana blinked. "That's… better I guess. We can- _Ryu-kun."_

The man shrugged helplessly, two daggers between the fingers in his left hand and another held loosely in his right.

"We can't use weapons," Nana insisted. "Not unless we absolutely have to. If Kyoya hears about this he will be _pissed."_

"Do you have a better suggestion?" Michelle asked. Nana was surprised that came out as an actual question and not like the sarcastic retort those particular words were usually followed with.

"How sure are you that she was followed?" Ryu added in, stepping lightly to the other end of the aisle to make sure they weren't being surrounded.

"Besides the fact that they are all armed, dressed entirely in black with the stereotypical black sunglasses of evil villains?" Nana shrugged. "One of them has a tattoo on his neck. It was kind of hard to tell but it looked like the symbol for the Todd Famiglia."

Ryu's head swiveled towards her, grip tightening almost painfully on his knives. "...You seem to be very familiar with Famiglias if you can recognize a tattoo like that so quickly."

"I'm not part of the mafia," Nana raised her hands. She wasn't, yet. "I just weirdly know a lot of people that are. I'm not going to endanger you or your husband, I swear on my life."

Ryu looked torn.

"Are you Sawada Nana?" Michelle suddenly asked, basket once more in arm and tranquilizer pistol rest neatly on top of the bread inside, just barely out of sight.

"I am?"

Michelle nodded, turning to Ryu. "It's alright Signor Ryu. This is the one I told you I was supposed to be staying with. They are a civilian as they say."

Ryu relaxed, looking horribly relieved. "I'm sorry Nana-san. I didn't mean-"

"It's okay," she rushed to reassure him. "I know how that must have looked. I'll explain everything once we're back home okay?"

"Alright."

Michelle looked between the two of them. "What is the plan for returning?" she wondered, as though asking about the weather.

"Oh! Ahhh," Nana looked around in though. Her eyes drifted down to the bag of oranges stuffed into the bottom corner of the cart. Pulling out her phone out of her purse resting in the child's seat she sent off a short text message before returning it. "They know the two of you, right? I can create a distraction while you two check out and leave."

"We're checking out?" Ryu looked bewildered.

"Of course! This is a lot of food Ryu-san, we're not just leaving it here when it's what we came for."

"Nana-san," he near pleaded, clearly concerned. "These men are very dangerous."

"Not as dangerous as my student," she assured him. "I just texted him, he should be here in a few minutes. I'll distract the two walking around. If you go through register 8 the last one shouldn't see you until it's time to leave and by then everything should be taken care of."

Ryu looked like he was about to have a heart palpitation but Michelle nodded along happily. "I'm assuming you are talking about Kyoya-sama."

"Weird to hear that honorific for him but yeah."

"Alright," she stepped up next to Ryu so she could loop her arm through his. Guiding him towards the end with the cart despite his shocked protests she waited for Nana to give them a signal that it was safe.

"Uh, count to sixty and you should be good to go," she instructed, darting out of the aisle and towards the produce section again. The two men were stalking down the candy aisle which was perfect. Rushing through the fruit stands she grabbed an armful of Kiwis. Too many Kiwis, really, but that only helped her plan. Trickling her Flames into them slowly she made them harder and harder until she was in the same row as the men. They glanced at her, focusing on her face, before turning to keep walking.

Nana bumped into the closest one, her Kiwis tumbling to the floor and right onto his feet.

"Agh!" he cried, jumping up and down and cradling his foot. The other one rushed over.

"What happened?"

"I'm so sorry!" Nana cried loudly, making sure they were both turned away from the entrance. "Are you alright? I know there were a lot of them, did you get hurt?"

The man cursed in Italian, motioning angrily towards the Kiwis. His partner frowned, confused. He reached for one, squishing it between his fingers just enough to make it bend under the pressure.

"They're just normal Kiwis," he said in Italian, assuming Nana couldn't understand them.

"They nearly broke my foot!" the other one hissed, ripping off his shoe to examine the damage. A dark bruise was already forming around the top, creeping up towards his ankle. Ryu and Michelle passed by behind them, both looking curious. They hurried past when Nana tilted her head to show she was okay. "Shit, I think it's broken."

"From a couple of _Kiwis?"_

"Um," Nana called out, voice soft and nervous. "Are you okay? I'm really sorry, that doesn't look good. I didn't realize you were already injured. Do you need help walking?"

"No," he snapped, slowly lowering his foot and glaring daggers at the fruit rolling along the floor. His partner helped him limp along.

Nana scrambled for another idea that wasn't just pelting them with fruit. Before they could reach the end of the aisle she grabbed the shelf on her left and pulled. It tipped, falling over on top of them. Nana ducked the moment it started falling. She crawled out one end while the two men got caught in the huge, crashing tidal wave of boxes, bags, and metal.

Nana gave a little frog face when she took in the damage. The two men were cursing and shouting, which meant they were momentarily trapped, but that was a lot of stuff to clean up and she did not want to be pulled into that. It was also loud which meant the other guy might come to investigate.

She hurried to the registers.

Ryu and Michelle were almost done, the last few items being bagged right as Nana squeezed past the people behind them to hover at their elbows.

"All good here?"

"What was that noise?" Ryu looked her over to make sure she wasn't hurt. "Are you okay?"

"I pulled a shelf down on them," Nana explained. "I'm fine, but we should probably hurry."

She pulled out her debit card, ignoring Michelle when she got her own wallet. "You can pay me back later. Let's just go, okay? Ryu-san, put this on."

She untied her hoodie, jumping up to pull it over his head. It was purple with various paint smears from the last few days on it. It was also really short on him, but the hood covered his face so Nana didn't care.

Ryu's blush showed that he kind of did.

They wheeled their stuff out, ready to book it past the doors.

The third man was walking towards them, not wanting to leave his post but suspicious about the noise. He took one look at Michelle and started to reach into his jacket.

Nana shot towards him, covering herself in Flames. She hit him in the stomach, hard. They tumbled to the floor, Nana twisting around him to get him in a chokehold. She guessed it was a good thing Kyoya kept asking her to teach him things like this. The repetition made it easy to find a good hold.

The door slid open again, Kyoya stepping in with his Tonfas in hand and Tetsuya at his side.

His eyes slid over to them, narrowing dangerously. "Omnivore."

"I didn't do anything," Nana swore as the struggling beneath her arms and legs started to weaken. "They started it."

He looked unconvinced but the look swiftly changed to focused anger when the other two men slid into view. "This is _my _town," he growled, stalking towards them. "Anyone who trespasses will be _bitten to death."_

"Aaand that's our cue to leave," Nana looked down at the white eyes of her passed out victim. Hopping up she started sliding the handles of all the bags onto her arms. "You good Tetsu-kun?"

The boy bowed deeply, his hair bouncing. "Yes Nana-sama. Thank you for your help."

"Just Nana is fine," she said for what had to be the billionth time. "Anytime Tetsu-kun. See you later!"

With all the bags hanging from her arms she ushered the other two out the doors and down the street.

"I-Nana-san, please let me take some of those," Ryu insisted, still looking back at the store flabbergasted. Michelle also reached out for her things.

Nana handed them both a few bags, the majority held easily in her own arms. "Well, that was an interesting way to meet someone. It's nice to meet you Rizzo-san."

Michelle looked very amused. "It's good to meet you Nana-san. And please, just call me Michelle."

"Can do. Did, uh, Natsuki tell you about staying at my place? Cause you don't have to if you don't want to."

Michelle looked thoughtful. Ryu looked between the two in shock while pulling off the hoodie and folding it over his arms. It was like everything that had just happened hadn't- well, hadn't happened.

"Normally I would say no, I can find a place of my own, but I think I'm starting to see why they were so insistent I stay with you. If you'll have me I would be very grateful to stay in your home for a time."

Nana grinned. "Great! We have a room ready for you."

The two chatted happily the entire way back, Ryu trailing after them. He had thought his grandmother was being a little mean when she kept telling him what an oddball her old neighbor was but he was starting to realize she had been sugar coating everything.

This was going to be an interesting vacation.

-00-

"Welcome to our home," Nana threw open the door right as Kyoko, dressed in nothing but her underclothes with a bright flame on the top of her head walked by.

The grocery bags fell to the floor.

"Oh my," Michelle raised her hand to her lips. The slap of Ryu's hand over his own eyes was loud enough to jolt Nana out of her shock.

"_Kyoko-chan?!_ What are you _doing?! _Put some clothes on!"

Shouto walked out of the kitchen, stuttering to a stop when Kyoko marched right up to him.

"Sir," she said, voice loud and demanding. "I would like to ask you to take back what you said earlier. It was simply unacceptable."

"Ahh!" Nana shrieked when she walked _through_ the coffee table between them, wood splintering and flying to the sides.

Shouto took a step back, spoon clinking against the bowl in his hands as he tried to move away.

"Those are the kinds of thoughts you should communicate," Kyoko continued, grabbing the color of his pajamas and _lifting him straight off the ground with one hand, what the fuck?! _"You will both get hurt if you bottle things like that up inside. Don't do that."

She started to shake him. Tsuna was hovering over her, trying to pull the man back down while avoiding touching Kyoko at all. Shouto had his hands held up in surrender, the bowl carefully balanced to avoid spilling it. His eyes were zeroed in on the flame sprouting from her forehead.

"Kyoko-chan, _stop,"_ Nana demanded, storming forwards. She tapped the girl's wrist, a little jolt of Lightning Flames making her hand open involuntarily. Shouto landed lightly on his feet, stepping around and behind Nana. She sent him a disbelieving look when he lifted his spoon to take a bite of his cereal.

Kyoko started to walk towards him again, hand outstretched. Nana grabbed her shoulders, horror filling her when her feet slid back against the floor as the younger girl kept moving regardless.

"I'm so sorry floor," Nana cried, covering her feet in Flames and slamming them through the wood. Her crying only grew more pronounced as that _still _didn't stop Kyoko and Nana was forced through a cutting line along her once beautiful floors. "Tsuna, grab that blanket!"

Tsuna jumped towards the couch, ripping the blanket off the back and throwing it to his mom. Nana caught it with one hand, still desperately trying to stop Kyoko from getting to Shouto. The man was taking a step back for every one they took (crashed) forward. He was still eating the damn cereal.

Nana wrapped the blanket around Kyoko, alternating hands so she could still somewhat restrain her. Once the blanket was wrapped all the way around her upper body and down to her ankles, the fabric stretching with her every step, Nana waited until she brought her feet together before sending a steady stream of Flames into the fabric. She made sure to both harden it and make it denser, just to be safe.

Kyoko paused, looking down at what had suddenly stopped her. She pushed against it experimentally before trying to force it off.

"Fuuuuck," Nana cursed, struggling to keep her hands on it so she could keep supply the Flames.

"Well, I guess I have no choice," Reborn's squeaky voice sighed from the stairs.

Nana yelped when he went flying past her head, a giant mallet in hand. He smashed it against Kyoko's head. Something flew out of her forehead, smacking Nana in the face.

"Ow! What the-" she caught whatever it was. Lifting it up she paled. "Is this a _bullet?!"_

"_It appears to be a Dying Will bullet. Don't worry, it is non-fatal so long as you have a reason to live."_

Nana would have thrown her hands up in the air, because that sure _sounded_ like something to be worried about, but Kyoko was now passed out in her arms and snoring softly.

"It's the Reverse 1 Ton," Reborn explained, leaning on the mallet. "It reverses the effects of the Dying Will bullet but it's a technique only I can use."

"Why didn't you use that in the first place?!" Tsuna demanded, rushing over to check on his friend.

"Why did she have a Dying Will Bullet in her _head _in the first place?" Nana added.

"We were playing Russian Roulette," Reborn tucked the mallet away, meandering his way into the kitchen.

"Oh my God," Nana groaned. "Tsu-kun, where is everyone else? Please tell they're not running around naked somewhere."

Lavina was slower than when they were kid's but that didn't mean it wouldn't be a pain in the ass to catch her.

"Lavina-obasan and Hayato went out to grab dinner from the Sushi Shop," he explained. "Kyoko-chan came over to say t-thank you for the present I gave her a few days ago. No one else got hit."

"Good," Nana sighed, lifting Kyoko up into her arms and stepping out of the crevices in the ground. She sent a mournful look towards the ground. "I'm going to go get her dressed and settled in my room until she wakes up. Tsu-kun, can you help Ryu-kun with the groceries? And introduce yourself to Michelle, she will be staying with us as well."

"O-okay."

"Reborn!" Nana shouted towards the kitchen, picking her way across the destruction towards the stairs. "You better have a way to fix my shit or I swear to _god _I'm going to burn every trace of coffee in this house! Including the hidden ones! Don't think I don't know about those!"

Reborn walked out of the kitchen with a steaming cup in his hand, Leon walking loops around his hat. "You're threatening the greatest hitman in the world?"

"Damn right I am!"

"Tsuna," Reborn transformed Leon into a gun. "Clean up this mess."

"What?! How am I supposed to do _that_?!"

"With your Dying Will."

"No-wait! Don't-"

Shouto stepped up to his husband, patting him on the shoulder. "Reborn is staying here too Ryu. I think I know why your grandmother sent us here."

"Oh God," Ryu buried his face in his hands. "They're just as crazy as everyone else!"

Shouto rubbed his back sympathetically, turning his attention to the woman standing next to him. "Hello Michelle. I want to say I'm surprised to see you but at this point, I'm really not."

"Salve, Signor Shouto," Michelle embraced him like she had his husband not too long ago. "I have some business in Namimori so I will be here for at least a week."

"It will be nice seeing you around. A familiar face we can trust is always a welcome sight."

"I'm honored."

"I'm the only sane one," Ryu whispered, horrified. "Grandmother, what have you done?"

"What the fuck did you do to my door?!" Nana's voice roared down the stairs at the same time her son roared out his ambitions to clean everything within the hour wearing nothing but his boxers with a brilliant Flame on his forehead.

Ryu sobbed into his hands.

**-00-**

**Review Responses:**

**Aerialeno: **Hello again friend! I'm always a little nervous writing fight scenes since those are so visual, I'm glad that one turned out as well as it did! Snake majored in witty rejoinders and other sarcastic ways to get your points across. He was top of his class XD I'll be sure to try my best! *bows under spatula*

**mikanMD: **Five reviews?! And all so kind?! You, my friend, are a wonderful human bean. You're the first one to point out how crazy it is for the Hibaris to beat _Nana!_ After so many years they have a crazy amount of Flames, so anyone without them would be hard pressed to get a scratch on Nana really. The Hibaris are just unnatural at this point XD I'm glad you liked my story so much! It just tickles me pink :D

**Redripper666: **Glad you liked it besides that point. It was mostly to show Snake being a manipulative dick at that point. Lightning Flames aren't really... optimal for breaking the seal. Snake knew that. Nana did not. Thanks for letting me know your thoughts! I appreciate it!

**Guest: **D'awww, thank you! That's super sweet of you to say! I'm glad you liked it so much friendo!


	15. I'm Lambo!

**Lavina knows hair magic**  
**Family time is best time**  
**Lambo!**  
**Explosives and knives**  
**Baking Days are national holidays now. No take-backs.**

**-00-**

I'm Lambo!

**-00-**

"Bergmurder," Nana grunted, rolling straight out of bed.

_"This is starting to become a habit,"_ Snake yawned.

Nana lifted himself up, hair tangled over his face like a briar bush. He stuffed his hand past the bramble and wiped the drool off his mouth. "...Huh?"

_"I started keeping track after the third incident and so far sixty percent of your mornings are started by falling out of the bed either mumbling or shouting something odd."_

Nana flipped his hair on top of his head. He blinked blearily past the sand crusts shoved into the corner of his eye like acupuncture needles. "Really?"

_"Yes. Most of the dreams causing your restlessness seem to be surrounding butter, one of the Hibari members, or dragons. Everything else is too muffled or doesn't actually translate into any known language so I am unsure of the cause."_

"Thanks, Dream Journal," Nana rubbed his face against the side of the bed, too lazy to actually use his hands, before forcing himself up. "You know the meanings of those too?"

Snake hummed thoughtfully._ "I would need a bit more information before I attempt to piece together any reasoning. Dragons can symbolize many things, after all, I would need to know the context of when they appeared in your dream."_

"Uhh," Nana scratched his head, tugging at it when his fingers got tangled. "I don't actually remember that one. I don't remember most of them, actually."

_"Then any guess I give you would be misinformed and probably horribly inaccurate."_

"Bah," Nana shrugged, stumbling into the bathroom. Running some water he started to brush his teeth. "You're a terrible Dream Journal."

_"Journals are a reflection of their writer."_

"Well what do you dream about?" Nana got out around a mouthful of toothpaste, toothbrush waving around as he turned his face to the side to frown at the marks impressed into his cheek.

_"I do not dream."_

Nana spat. "Like, at all? Ever?"

_"I have never had a dream."_

"That kind of sucks," he squinted at the hairbrush, prepared for an intense battle. "Not even when you were a kid?"

_"Hmm. Perhaps. That was a very long time ago."_

"How long?"

_"Just because your mind is weakened by mornings does not mean mine is. You'll have to try better than that."_

Nana clicked his tongue. "This is the weirdest fucking version of twenty questions I've ever played."

_"You swore there would be no bitterness after I won the last round."_

"Well I didn't think you'd trick me with food facts . Cooking time is sacred!"

_"You answered of your own free will."_

"But subconsciously I was shackled!"

Snake huffed out a low laugh. Nana grinned victoriously, wincing when the brush caught on a particularly rough knot. Only one week left in his punishment for losing Lavina's bet (how was he supposed to know that Aiko had the aim of fricken Artemis) and then he could cut his hair.

Speaking of Lavina…

Something bumped against Nana's bedroom door. With a fond roll of his eyes, Nana opened the door and held up his hand to catch Lavina's shoulder before she slumped down to the carpet.

"You can always do my hair later you know," he offered once again, settling Lavina on the bed and plopping down on the ground in front of the tall woman's legs. He handed the brush backward.

Lavina yawned, breath squeaking a bit as she started to work out the last few knots Nana had missed. Her touch was soft and careful, far less painful than when Nana had done it. Once all the tangles were undone she pulled the multitude of hair ties off her wrist and set them next to her. Then she handed Nana a handful of bobby pins.

"Cute hair… all day…"

Nana snorted at the dips in her voice as she tried to explain. It was a wonder how she could work Nana's hair into the complex, sometimes convoluted shapes she thought of with the way her eyes fluttered and her head bobbed in morning bleariness.

Settling back against his friend Nana closed his eyes and relaxed into the fingers carding through his hair.

_"It might be best to remind her that she used the last of the cinnamon yesterday."_

"Oh, right," Nana remembered. "Lavina, want me to pick up some more cinnamon for you guys today?"

Lavina hummed tiredly, each finger on her left hand carefully holding a different strand of hair while her right weaved other pieces through them. "It should be… okay. Kouske-kun has plenty."

"M'kay," Nana tilted his head as nimble fingers guided him to. "What time is taste testing?"

"...8? We found a lot of new recipes."

"Sweet," Nana cheered happily. Baking Days were awesome . "I'll walk you over as soon as Tsuna goes to school."

"Mhh," she agreed, twisting and tugging a few times.

Nana blinked when another section of his hair was put in a fourth, sperate hair tie. "Are you going super fancy today?"

"You'll look adorable."

The hairstyle took twice as long as it usually did but Nana had to agree. It was flippin adorable.

"Damn," he breathed, turning his head from side to side, looking through the proffered hand mirror at times to see the back. "How did you do this?"

There was an actual flower in his hair. Not, like, the plant, but a flower made of hair. With petals and everything! There were two small braids on the side of his head that were pulled back to form the flower in the center with another braid traveling down from it like the stem. The rest of his hair was left free and falling over his shoulders and holy crap that was awesome !

Lavina smiled over his shoulder, more awake and clearly happy with her handiwork. "I'm glad it turned out so well! I've been wanting to try this for awhile."

Nana's hand hovered over his hair, hesitant to touch it. "This has got to be the most complex thing my hair has ever done. I'm scared to move."

"Don't worry," Lavina's smile took a wicked turn as she lifted up a spray bottle in each hand. "I've got that covered. Close your eyes and hold your breath."

"Please don't kill me."

Nana covered his whole face with his hands, taking in a good solid breath and waiting for the hissing cloud of death to settle.

"All done!"

Stepping to the side and back a few times, just to be sure he was in the clear, Nana peered through his fingers.

"Jesus Christ Lavina, did you use the whole can?"

"Both of them," she skipped over to the trashcan and tossed them in. "And it was all worth it! You look lovely Nana!"

"Thank you," he bowed dramatically. Lavina laughed, patting him on the shoulder as she passed.

"Tsuna-chan should be awake by now, and we're late to making breakfast."

" I'm late to making breakfast. You usually sleep in."

"Not today," she sing-songed, trotting down the hall. "You still need to get dressed!"

"No pancakes!" Nana called after her, sticking his head out the door. "Stop spoiling him Lavina!"

"You're one to talk!"

Shaking his head Nana closed the door and rooted through is closet.

_"You should wear the white and grey flannel shirt,"_ Snake recommended.

Nana flicked some of the hangers to the side to find it. "You don't usually offer suggestions. Unless it's to tell me how crappy my own choices are."

_"Those shades of green and pink should not exist, let alone be put together."_

"Memememahme," Nana mocked under his breath. Still, he really didn't want to have to pull a shirt over his head. The rock solid state of his hair would probably survive cloth contact but he didn't want to risk it. Thankfully his sleeping shirt was outrageously big, so he could just slip it off his shoulders like a dress. Buttoning up the shirt he slid on a pair of comfy jeans and called it good.

Snake sighed in relief. He had seen Nana pause over the light green shorts with pineapples wearing sunglasses on the pockets. Nana had written sonnets on the comfort levels of those shorts but Snake strongly disagreed. He had never cared about fashion before meeting Nana. It was amazing how much someone could care about something purely because of someone else being so abysmal at it.

Nana scowled at the walls as she walked down the stairs. "...I feel like you're making fun of me right now."

_"It's your imagination."_

Lavina was making eggs when Nana joined her, Tsuna already up and setting the table.

"Good morning Tsu-kun."

"Morning Dad," he smiled back. "You look really nice."

"Thanks!"

Since Lavina seemed fine on breakfast duty Nana got to work making the snack bags for the day. They'd been able to harvest some of the strawberry plants just yesterday (Shouto had hovered like a fly before Tsuna had nervously invited him to help) and while most of them had disappeared down the blackholes of their new houseguests he had saved enough for Tsuna and Lavina's snack for a couple of days.

One of the most parent things he had ever bought was the Tupperware containers that were split into specific sections for foods while staying small enough to be packed away in a backpack or purse. Setting some strawberries in just Lavina and Tsuna's (the others ate plenty, they would survive) he diced a few apples to add to the others. Each container got a healthy glob of peanut butter (and no Kouske, he didn't have a problem thank you very much) as well as some rice and a few of the chicken meatballs that had been left over from dinner. Tsuna had a test tomorrow so he made sure to sneak his box a piece of the carrot cake Nana had been hiding away when Lavina wasn't looking. It was store bought. She would feel scandalized, but tradition was tradition! Stressful times and birthdays called for store bought cakes!

Michelle glided in, the smell of Jasmine following after her like she was a bag a potpourri. Her hair was pulled into a side-ponytail, the natural curl of it making it bounce as she moved. Like every day she was dressed like a businesswoman ready to curb stomp anyone that got in her way, but with what Nana had gotten to know of her she would do so while casually talking about monthly expenditures. Or when cloud gazing.

"Thank you Sawada-san," she smiled calmly when Nana handed her a container. At least Nana had been able to talk her into accepting the random meals he would throw at people.

"Just Nana is fine," he smiled back. No luck on the first name part yet, but he'd get there. One day.

Michelle grabbed a water bottle from the fridge, pausing when Nana turned back to the other sets. "Sawada-san, your hair looks ethereal today."

It took Nana a moment to come to terms with the word 'ethereal' being used in both a modern day setting and towards himself. Once it clicked he preened under the compliment, ears red.

"T-thank you. Lavina did it for me."

Michelle stepped around Nana, curious eyes analyzing. "Lavina-san, this is expertly done. I'm impressed. Would it be alright if I kept your skill in mind for the future?"

Now Lavina was preening. "It was nothing special," she demurred, ignoring Nana's pointed stare. "If I can help at any point I would be honored!"

Michelle nodded and settled her purse over her shoulders. With a small wave towards Tsuna, she walked back out of the kitchen.

Nana had made sure to put a few extra meatballs in Michelle's box because, like always, she was out of the house the second she was ready to go and wouldn't be back until later in the evening. Lavina was working on making her stay for breakfast (it was probably the reason she always got up earlier now, Nana's hair didn't always take this long to do) but that was also proving to be a fruitless endeavor. She at least ate dinner. A lot of dinner. Nana wasn't sure where she put it all, but so long as she was willing to go pick up the groceries from time to time he wasn't going to ask.

"Thank you."

Nana jumped, cursing. Shouto, their now resident ghost apparently had slipped past him and gotten a plate of food from Lavina. Ryu wasn't far behind, his footsteps slapping across the tile floor like a normal person as he joined them all at the table (pulling out Shouto's chair for him, which earned a soft smile in return).

The much bigger, round wooden table that had shown up the same day their house had been magically expanded.

...He owed them so much. He'd have to start thinking about things to do.

"Catch," Nana called, frisbee tossing two of the containers to their recipients. The other five she left on the counter (Tsuna's was liable to hit him in the face, and Nana did not want a repeat of the last time she tried to throw something to Lavina). Ryu caught his with both hands, smiling happily in thanks, while Shouto caught his one-handed so he could keep shoveling his face full of food. He was worse than Tsuna, and Tsuna was a growing boy!

"Thanks," he mumbled around a mouthful of food, shrugging when Ryu smacked his shoulder.

"Thank you Nana," Ryu pulled out his chair for him. "Oh, wow. Your hair looks amazing!"

Nana sat down, looking pointedly at Lavina who never pulled out his chair for him. She rolled her eyes and broke another egg.

"Thanks Ryu-kun, Lavina did it for me." Successfully diverting the compliments to Lavina, Nana looked around the room. "Where's Hayato-kun?"

"He's talking to Reborn," Tsuna shrugged, hunched over his food. He still felt a little nervous around the new strangers in their house but they seemed like nice people and he was starting to warm up to them. Ryu was always kind to him when they talked and Shouto had really cool stories. He didn't ever really talk to Michelle but she seemed nice too.

"That's… good," Nana tried. It fell flat.

Tsuna nodded, shoulders slumping in despair for what the demon baby had in store for the day. He had no idea why Hayato was always so quick to go along with whatever Reborn said. Takeshi never questioned anything, and honestly Tsuna had been expecting that, but Hayato? Ugh, his life was a mess.

He yelped when something sharp hit his ankle.

"What's with the sour face Tsuna?" Reborn asked, hopping up onto his own chair (specifically designed for him, it was the weirdest looking chair either of the Sawadas had ever seen). "Today is going to be fun."

"Noo," Tsuna whined into his food.

"Good morning Tsuna!" Hayato bowed, ninety degrees of completely unnecessary respect aimed right at him.

"M-morning Hayato."

The silverette beamed, greeting everyone else at the table a little more lackluster before hopping over to help Lavina finish up. He had a happy tinge of red in his cheeks when she patted him on the cheek fondly.

Tsuna wondered if he was the only one who noticed how similar they looked.

"Tsu-kun," Nana called to him, cutting into his own food. "Can you let everyone know that taste testing is at 8?"

Tsuna blinked slowly for a moment. "Oh." He brightened. "Oh yeah! I forgot that was tonight! I'll let them know!"

"Taste testing?" Shouto paused, ears nearly twitching with interest.

Nana rolled his eyes. "It's Baking Day. Lavina and one of our other friends meet up every other month or so to try out a bunch of baking recipes and experiment. We all help them get rid of the, uh, excess food they make. And to judge which ones turned out the best."

Ryu sighed at the sparkle in his husband's eyes.

Lavina laughed, sitting down with Hayato to eat after she turned off the stove. "You both are invited too, of course. And Michelle if she wants to come! The more the merrier!"

"Thank you," Shouto said, gratitude deep in his voice. Ryu shook his head but smiled.

Nana took his last bite, subtly tracking how much Lavina ate. Her serving was a lot smaller than everyone else's, but it was more than she was usually able to eat in the mornings. Maybe getting up so early was more helpful than they thought. He'd bring it up to her later.

They all finished eating, Tsuna leaving first with Reborn in his hair (that was still… really weird) and Hayato at his side. They each thanked him for their snacks, Tsuna making sure to keep Kyoya's from jostling around too much. Ryu and Shouto finished next, though it looked like Shouto was ready to keep eating. They were going to the forest (next to that damn mountain) for the day. No one had come looking for them or Michelle (that Nana knew of) since the first day and they were finally starting to relax a bit.

"Lavina!" Nana called up the stairs, wheelchair out and ready.

"Sorry," she shuffled down the steps. She was wearing the cute purple summer dress Kouske had given her for her birthday. "I wanted him to know I appreciate this."

"He knows," Nana assured her. Eighty percent of her wardrobe was from Kouske at this point, and the other twenty was the random crap she borrowed from Nana.

Lavina barely even glanced at the wheelchair as she walked out the door. "I can make it to the hill at least."

"Okay," Nana agreed easily, following behind her until there was enough room for them to walk side-by-side. Once they got to the hill leading up to the Hibari manor (he was the only one that called it that, apparently, but that's what it was ) she plopped down into the chair with a huff, sweat beading her forehead. Nana pulled a water bottle out of his bag and passed it to her.

She reached back and patted his hand, gulping down the first quarter of the bottle.

"Snickerdoodles," Nana whispered.

"Nana," Lavina laughed.

"Sniiiiickerdoodles~"

"You always ask for the same thing," she twisted to the side so she could look back at him as they talked.

Nana kept looking forwards, pretending he couldn't see her. "Snicker. Doodles."

"Fine, fine," she giggled. "I'll make a batch just for you."

"Yes!" Nana fist pumped. "Don't forget to eat normal food though."

"How could I possibly forget?"

"That's what I keep wondering."

Kouske met them at the door, whisking Lavina away into their kitchen paradise. Nana made sure to do a twirl when he looked at him, showing off the badassery that was his hair. Kouske, true to his nature, congratulated Lavina on turning even the foulest of creatures into a work of art. Nana decided to take the compliment while flipping him off.

Natsuki didn't even look up long enough to nod at Nana gaze riveted on the stack of documents splayed out in front of her. Michelle waved a bit from where she sat across from her.

Huh. Is this where she went every day? It would make sense, he guessed. She was their friend.

...Business partner?

Business friend.

Whatever. Those papers had far too many numbers to tempt Nana into talking to them, lest they roped him into helping.

He had things to do at home. Cleaning, a few paint touch-ups here and there, continuing his research on the men from the grocery store, and planning the next history and science unit for Kyoya. He needed to figure out if their next trip would be more historical or experimental, he was starting to get bored with both subjects and Nana need something to recapture his interest.

Maybe he would be interested in those historical reenactment events? Nana wasn't sure he wanted to be held responsible for the teen in a setting that encouraged fighting, even if it was supposed to be acting.

_"My knowledge is at your disposal,"_ Snake offered. Again.

Nana rolled his eyes. "Your 'lessons' put me to sleep. They're liable to turn Kyoya feral."

He'd look up the reenactments, just to check. If they had health wavers that could cover Kyoya's usual damage then he'd consider it.

-00-

"Uh," Tsuna sweated profusely, eyes shaking as he looked between the math problem in front of him and the baby with his hands on what looked like a TNT detonator. He knew the school day had gone too smoothly. "T-the answer is… five?"

"Correct," Reborn squeaked. "Answer problem seven."

Tsuna sobbed a bit, moving to the next one. For every point his grade went up his sanity fell two levels. At the very least Reborn gave him however much time he needed to solve it.

Ten minutes later he had quadruple checked his answer and was praying to whatever deity that would listen that he had somehow gotten it right. "The answer is… twelve?"

"Wrong."

The click of the detonator was masked by the horrified scream, immediately followed by the boom of the bomb. Tsuna didn't know how he had made something that was clearly fire filled and dangerous yet left no traces and the room unscathed and he didn't care. The sound alone was enough to stick to his nightmares like glue.

"What kind of tutor uses bombs when their student gets something wrong?!" Tsuna demanded, curled up in a ball in the corner.

"This one does," Reborn hopped over to the next detonator in the line of five. "Question eight now."

"Ugh," Tsuna scrubbed at his hair. "I can't do this anymore, what do you even- Hieee! What- how did you get up there?!"

The small child, dressed oddly like a cow, was hanging off the tree outside Tsuna's window and smiling victoriously as he leveled a gun towards Reborn.

"If you don't want to answer it yet then we'll review what you know so far," Reborn grabbed his lesson book and flipped it open.

"Uh," Tsuna waved his hands towards the window. "_Reborn_?!"

"You've done well memorizing the formulas but you keep messing up halfway through. Your writing is too cramped. If you space it out like this-"

"Die Reborn!" the child laughed evilly.

Tsuna stood up, stepping forward in front of his tutor to try to dissuade the boy as well as stop him from shooting Reborn.

He flinched when the gun clicked.

Cow kid looked at his pistol, confused when nothing came out. "Oh," he said sadly. There was a new, separate cracking sound as the branch he was on snapped.

"Ah!" Tsuna rushed over to the window when he fell.

"T-tol-er-ate," he sniffed, pushing himself up off the ground. "Reborn!"

Tsuna pinched the skin in the crook of his elbow when the kid ran around the side of the house. "What was that ?"

Nana turned off the vacuum when the doorbell rang. Tugging out his headphones he moved to the main hall.

"Hello-" Nana opened the door. No one was there. "Hello?"

He looked around, leaning out to peer down the sidewalks. Had he misheard?

A slight sniffle made him look down.

Impossibly big, fluffy black hair bounced as tear filled eyes looked up at him with both confusion and a smidge of fear.

"Hi there," Nana felt his heart melt a bit. Kneeling down so he wasn't looming over the kid he kept his voice low and soft. "Are you okay little one? What's wrong?"

He blinked at Nana, stunned for all of two seconds, before flinging himself into his arms and sobbing.

"Whoa," Nana tensed his legs to hold himself in place while he held the boy dressed in the cutest cow print onesie he had ever seen. There were even little horns on his head to complete the outfit. "There, there, you're okay bud."

He stepped out onto the porch, sitting down on the sidewalk and rubbing soothing circles into his back. He kept looking around in case the kid's parents came around looking for him. They probably weren't too far away, right?

The boy's sniffles started to die down.

"There you go, good job."

He sniffed loudly, the mucus that had built up in his nose dripping a bit. Nana wished he had some tissues on hand. "I-" his voice squeaked, tiny clothed hand rubbing at his eyes. "I did good?"

"You did!" Nana cheered, smiling warmly down at him. "You stopped crying all by yourself. You must be very brave."

That must have flipped some kind of switch. The boy suddenly grinned, all teeth, and tried to strike a heroic pose. Nana had to shuffle a bit when he stood on his arms so that he could place a hand on his hip and point the other to the sky.

"I am the bravest! Lambo-san can do anything!"

"Lambo," Nana tilted his head. That was a name she'd never heard before. It was cute. "Is that your name?"

He nodded, whatever had been making him cry completely forgotten. "I'm Lambo! I'm five-years-old!"

"Wow," Nana cheered him on. Lowering him to the ground he let Lambo hop out of his arms. "You're so big! You must know a lot of things then."

"Hehe," he rubbed the back of his head, basking in the praise. "Ask Lambo-san anything! I have all the answers."

"That's amazing," Nana clapped. "Do you mind if I ask who you are with then? Are you here all by yourself?"

"I'm here for Reborn!" he puffed out his chest. His eyes suddenly shot open wide, darting from side-to-side. "I almost forgot! Reboooorrnnn!"

Lambo rushed around Nana, straight through the door and up the stairs.

"Reborn?" Nana grimaced. That didn't bode well. Were they friends?

Standing up Nana brushed himself off and closed the door. Pulling out his phone he texted Tsuna to watch the toddler while he checked the neighborhood for the boy's parents. Hopefully whoever Lambo was with wasn't far.

"Long time no see Reborn!"

Tsuna flinched, startling away when his door slammed open. He had been trying to check his phone after it beeped but the loud noise made it slip from his hand and under his dresser.

"It's me! Lambo!"

"Do you know him?" Tsuna whispered, wondering if it was safe to try to retrieve his phone.

Reborn shoved the book under his nose. "Remeber this formula too."

"What?" Tsuna sweatdropped.

"Don't ignore me damn it!" Lambo shot forwards, death in his eyes and a knife in hand. "I'll kill you- Gupya!"

Tsuna shrieked when Reborn backhanded the kid away, tucking the knife into his suit like he owned it to begin with.

"A-are you okay?" he looked over at the kid struggling to keep his composure.

"I must have tripped," he mumbled to himself. Flipping over, snot and tears covering his face, he started shouting. "I, Lambo-san, five-years-old, from Italy, a hitman for the Bovino family have tripped!"

_'He's trying so hard to introduce himself,'_ Tsuna shook his head.

"So let me try again!" he stood up, sliding in front of Reborn. "Yo, Reborn! It's me, Lambo!"

"Once you've memorized that formula," the hitman circled the problem at the bottom of the page, "use it to solve this and then you should be able to answer problem 8."

Lambo looked horrified. Suddenly he brightened and pulled a small bag from his… hair?

"I've brought a lot of souvenirs from Italy too!" he dug through it, pulling out a package of some kind of candy. "Look, look!"

"Uh, t-thats-" Tsuna smiled weakly, not sure how to handle this kid. Reborn cleared his throat, one small hand reaching for the nearest detonator.

"I-it's four!" Tsuna shouted. "I think."

"Correct."

"To-ler-ate."

Tsuna floundered a bit when he realized Lambo was crying in the corner.

"I have a lot of weapons too!"

Was this kid bi-polar?! And where did he get those?!

"Tada~! The Ten-Year Bazooka! Anyone that's hit by this is switched with their future self from ten years in the future for five whole minutes!"

'For real?!'

"Oh," he thought about it. "That would be a waste to use now though." And then he shoved the entire bazooka right back into his afro.

"_How?!_" Tsuna gaped.

"I found something good!" he giggled. Skipping over to stand a bit closer he revealed what he had pulled out. "Oh no, what might this be."

_'Please tell me that's not real,'_ Tsuna prayed, dilated eyes zeroing in on the grenade held in cow print covered hands.

"Die Reborn!" he cackled, pulling out the pin and throwing it at Reborn and, since the room was so small, Tsuna as well.

Reborn's arm blurred, smashing the grenade right back into Lambo's face and catapulting the boy out the window. Tsuna scrambled for the window when the explosion went off.

"That was way too harsh!" he cried, looking around for the kid. "Don't you know him?"

"I don't."

"What?" Tsuna glanced back at him, shoulders relaxing when he saw the fluffy black hair appear behind the tree and run for the front of the house again.

"If he's from the Bovino family then he's from a small one. I don't associate with those who rank lower."

"Ouch," Tsune winced. He tried to go for the door only for his legs to fly out from under him. He shrunk away from the baby that stood on his chest, gun leveled at his face.

"I am the worlds greatest hitman," Reborn told him, eyes glinting dangerously. "Never stand in front of me again."

"I-" Tsuna gulped. "I didn't want you to get hurt!"

"I don't need your protection," Reborn nudged his forehead with the gun before it transformed back into Leon. The little Chameleon stuck it's tongue out, hitting him in the nose. "Just your attention."

"O-okay. Sorry."

Reborn hopped off, gathering up the scattered books. "You have a twenty-minute break. Then we finish your homework no matter how long it takes."

"But it's going to be 8 soon!"

"Then we'll need more bombs."

"Ugh," Tsuna scrubbed at his face. Crawling across the floor he patted around for his phone until he could pull it out. Checking the texts he sighed. Leaving Reborn in the room he went to the front door. "Lambo? Are you out-"

A blur of black attached itself to his leg, mucus and tears soaking his pant leg within seconds.

"Eck," Tsuna grimaced, patting the afro awkwardly. "Are you… okay? Do you want me to get Reborn for you?"

Lambo started screaming in fear, shaking his head so violently it almost sent Tsuna stumbling to the floor.

"Okay!" he took it back. "No Reborn, got it."

He didn't really want to see Reborn either. He did need to finish his homework though.

"How about we take a walk?" he offered. Lambo nodded, wiping his nose right on Tsuna's knee. "Ookay. That's… great."

Lifting Lambo into his arms instead he made sure to grab the box of tissues out of the bathroom before they left. They didn't walk for long, and most of it was spent trying to get Lambo to stop crying. When he finally devolved to simple sniffles they had gotten to the river Tsuna usually crossed over to get to school. Setting the boy down on the grassy hill next to it he plopped down next to him and stretched.

_'I can't believe he's still crying,'_ he peered around his arms to look at the watery eyes. "Um, do you like candy?"

Lambo looked at him like he'd just promised him the whole world. With a little laugh Tsuna pulled out the sucker he had snagged from his Dad's candy jar before he started studying. Lambo treated it like a pacifier, the calming effect immediate.

"L-Lambo's dream is to be the boss of the Bovino family," he suddenly shared, words vaguely muffled by the sucker. "And make all of humanity bow down to me."

"Wow," Tsuna deadpanned. "That's… quite the dream."

If he wasn't so sure it would traumatize him Tsuna would introduce him to Kyoya. The older teen wouldn't kill Lambo since he was small and, despite being kind of gross, adorable and if anyone could put him on the path to world domination it would be a Hibari.

"My boss told me to defeat the super first class hitman Reborn."

"Really?" Tsuna frowned. That seemed like a dangerous job for… anyone, let alone a five-year-old kid.

"I met Reborn the first time my boss took me to the bar."

_'A bar?! He's five!'_

"He was sitting at the bar counter. We talked for a really long time. I was eating my favorite grapes and he was practicing making bubbles with his nose."

Tsuna wondered how badly he would react if he told him that meant Reborn had been asleep the whole time.

"W-well," he cut in, "since you've stopped crying why don't we go back?"

All the air in his lungs was knocked out when Lambo slammed into his chest like an anvil.

"_ Why_, " he wheezed. Lambo clung to him, face buried in his shirt. "Are you- you're coming to Lambo."

Tiny eyes lifted just enough to stare at him. Tsuna smiled back as best he could, even though it came out a bit wobbly.

"Let's go."

Nana was unlocking the door when they got back. Tsuna felt like he should question how quickly Lambo transferred from his arms to Nana's but he already knew how comforting a presence his Dad was.

"Hey there," Nana smiled down at Lambo, easily lifting him up. "Did you go on a walk with Tsu-kun?"

"He was crying!" Lambo laughed, patting his chest like a war hero. "Lambo made it better."

"Well thank you for looking out for him.," Nana laughed, reaching out to ruffle Tsuna's hair, winking.

Tsuna flushed a bit.

"Do you still have any homework to do?"

"J-just a bit."

"Okay," Nana shuffled them all in, kicking his shoes off. "I'll look after Lambo while you finish up."

"Dad," Tsuna paused. "Why, uh, why is Lambo here?"

Nana's brow furrowed. "He seems to be lost. I couldn't find his parents."

Lambo looked up, one final crunch of the sucker leaving him chewing on the stick. "The boss is in Italy."

A dark look passed over Nana's face. "Boss? Did you come here all by yourself?"

"Yeah!" he cheered. "My job is to take out the number one Hitman Reborn! Then I'll be the boss! Gyahahaha!"

"I see," Nana's voice was cold. He smiled when Lambo looked at him curiously. "I just remembered a call I have to make. Tsuna, I'm sorry sweetie, but would you mind watching him for just a little bit longer?"

Uh-oh. He had a feeling he knew where this was going. "Sure thing Dad."

Nana passed him over and stormed down the hall. Tsuna took Lambo into the kitchen. They both froze at the sight of Reborn sitting casually at the table.

Lambo started sweating immediately. His eyes darted around, panicked, before he pulled another knife from his hair in the most bizarre 'fight or flight' reaction Tsuna had ever seen and threw it at Reborn. Reborn knocked it back easily, the blade passing within a hairs width of the trembling pair.

Trying to escape, Lambo jumped out of Tsuna's arms, fumbling and smashing face first into the ground.

'Oh no,' Tsuna despaired when tears welled up in his eyes again. Before he could even blink the kid had the bazooka from before out and pointed at his own head. "No, wait-!"

A pink cloud of smoke filled the room. Tsuna coughed, waving his hand in front of his face.

"L-Lambo, are you-?!"

"Well, well," a tall man sighed, running a hand through his wavey black hair. "It looks like I came back."

Tsuna stepped away from him quickly, eyes wide. "Who are you?!"

"Hm?" the man looked up, one eye closed. "Oh! Tenth Vongola! Long time no see. Thanks for looking out for me."

" What?!"

"The Ten-Year Bazooka replaces you with yourself from ten years in the future," Reborn explained, petting Leon with his feet propped up on the table.

"That's- That's not a thing that happens!" Tsuna yelled, waving his arms around. But then, how did this guy get here? And they looked so different, but the man had some cow print patterns on his shirt, and he had the same colored eyes. Was it seriously-?

"Hey, Reborn," the man (Lambo? seriously?) turned to the baby looking them over with a disinterested expression. "I changed, haven't I? I'm Lambo, the one you always ignore."

"You have five minutes left Tsuna," Reborn leaned back, rocking his chair with his feet.

Lambo smirked, eyes overshadowed. "I'll have to use my skill then. I'll show you exactly how much I've changed!" He pulled out… horns? They looked like a larger version of the horns he had worn as a toddler. Sticking them onto the side of his head (what, were they magnetized to the color black?) he chuckled. "Thunder set. Just so you know, my horns hold a million volts."

"What?" Tsuna shrieked when they lit up with arcs of electricity.

"Die, Reborn!"

He charged at Reborn, ready to electrocute him into a crisp. Reborn grabbed a fork off the table, already set for the next meal, and held it out right as Nana walked in with a frown on their face.

"Why is it so loud in-" He cut off, shooting towards the stranger in black. Tsuna blinked, not quite processing how quickly his Dad had moved from the entryway to directly in front of Lambo.

Grabbing the front of Lambo's clothes with both his hands Nana twisted so his back was pushed into his chest and flipped Lambo over his shoulder and through the window. With a snarl on his face he followed right after him, diving out the window as well.

"Dad!"

Tsuna scrambled over, sticking himself out the window. Nana had Lambo, a toddler now, cradled in his arms as he scanned their yard for where the intruder had gone.

"Here Tsuna," he handed Lambo off, still on edge. "Stay here, I'll be right back."

"No, wait, Dad," Tsuna grabbed for him, struggling to hold the snoozing toddler as well but Nana was already gone.

"Time's up."

"Can you give me a break for one second?" he snapped, one step away from climbing out the window himself.

"A mafia boss doesn't get breaks."

"I'm not going to be a mafia boss!"

"Not with that attitude."

"Aagh!"

-00-

"Are you sure he's not going to try anything?" Nana crossed his arms, rubbing whatever warmth he could back into them. He hadn't really had any time to grab a jacket, or shoes , when he jumped after the stranger that had been in his house. He had to make do with surrounding his feet in Flames so nothing cut them. "He was trying to attack Reborn! And Tsuna was right there!"

_"He is no threat to you or your family_," Snake assured. "_If you ask either Reborn or Tsunayoshi they will both tell you who he was."_

"Why can't you tell me?"

Snake sighed, sounding like a tired parent on the fiftieth round of 'why' with a child. "_If you were to suddenly know who he was or where he had come from it would cause problems for you. I have no doubt that they will tell you the truth, so it's in your best interest to hear it from them than from me."_

"Fine," he sighed, looking at his phone. He would make it back just in time to grab Tsuna and head over to the Hibari manor. Michelle was apparently already there so he didn't have to worry about her and he'd given Ryu and Shouto the address so hopefully they could find their own way there. He kicked a stone, his earlier aggravation returning. "I can't believe they let a kid travel all the way here by himself!"

_"The Bovino Famiglia is not known to shelter their young."_

"You're sounding like Discovery Channel again," Nana warned him. "He was so surprised when I was nice to him. That's not okay Snake."

_"I did not say it was."_

"We'll have to make up a room for him until I can figure out what's going on," he sighed again, heavier this time. "God, that sucks. Poor kid. What do you think he came here for? He said it was to see Reborn. Do they know each other or did he just hear about him?"

_"Those are questions to ask him."_

"Yeah…"

The night was cold thanks to the clouds, but it wasn't raining yet. Namimori was always so peaceful, even when it was pitch black with only street lights to guide you. Nana loved it here, it was like a piece of paradise. Maybe, if nothing came through with the calls he had made, Lambo could stay with them. He'd been thinking about adopting anyway. Sure, he hadn't thought it would come about so quickly, but Lambo was cute. A bit of a crybaby, but that wasn't a downside. A bit of support, some love, and Nana was sure Lambo would do great.

_"You can't just adopt every person that crosses your path, Nana."_

"You don't know I was thinking about that," he sputtered, shivering a bit.

_"Yes I do. You've been thinking it the second you realized his parents were in a different country."_

"Well," Nana struggled for an argument. "Yeah. But he's just a kid. He deserves a home."

_"And you do have the room."_

"Exactly!" Nana nodded sternly. "What's the point of all that space without people to fill it?"

He paused, foot half raised.

_"Nana?"_

Nana blinked away the sudden wash of tears in his eyes, laughing.

_"What were you thinking about?"_

He kept walking, feeling warmer. "That's what my Dad said. From before. He didn't have a lot of space, not like our house, but he always said we had to fill it as much as we could because a crowded home is better than no home."

_"...He sounds like a good man."_

"He was," Nana agreed, sniffing a bit. God, it had been so long since he thought of those times. "I was lucky he found me."

"Dad!"

Nana looked up, smiling when Tsuna ran out the door to meet him.

"Hey Tsu-kun. Sorry for running out on you like that bud. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he fluttered around, hands shaking. "Are you okay? Where did you go?"

Nana ruffled his hair, nudging him towards the door. Lambo was hiding behind it, eyes wide.

"I just wanted to make sure that guy didn't come back. He must be a really fast runner."

Tsuna chuckled, strained and weak. "Y-yeah. I guess so."

Right. He would be asking Reborn then.

"I know I worried you," Nana grabbed his arm, looking sorry. "But if we don't get going soon we'll be late. Why don't you go get ready and we can talk on the way over."

Tsuna looked hesitant to leave again but once he was sure Nana wasn't hurt at all he agreed easily enough.

Nana looked down at the hidden ball of fluff. Bending down he smiled. "Hey Lambo-kun. Do you want to eat some sweets?"

One green orb appeared from behind the wood. "Sweets?"

"Yup!" he grinned. "My best friend and some other guy are making as many desserts as they possibly can. They wanted to know if you could come help everyone eat them."

"Lambo can!" He leaped out, laughing near maniacally. "Lambo can eat more sweets than anyone else!"

"Perfect," Nana wiped his head in relief. "Why don't you go wash your hands then and we can head over."

Lambo seemed to hesitate.

"Only clean hands get to eat Lavina, the baker lady's, treats."

He slumped up the stairs towards Tsuna's room. Nana snickered, thinking about his son trying to help the younger boy get cleaned up.

"Nana," Reborn hopped up onto his shoulder.

"Reborn," Nana side-eyed him. "Do you have any idea who that man was before? I thought he was with the men from the grocery store but you didn't seem worried at all."

"That was Lambo."

"...What?"

-00-

"A _bazooka_?!" Aiko hissed, leaning in even closer. Tsuyoshi's eyes were lit up like firecrackers.

"Can it really do that?"

"Apparently," Nana shrugged, lifting his arms exaggeratedly. "I guess, if I think about it, the man kind of looked like Lambo-kun but everything happened so quickly I can't be sure."

"That's amazing," Tsuyoshi grinned, ideas Nana didn't want to know about filling his head.

"Don't even think about it," Aiko pointed at him sharply. She made sure he met her eyes before turning back to Nana. They were all huddled in the corner, gossiping, while everyone else was still traveling up and down the tables of desserts that had been laid out. Kouske and Lavina were practically strutting, walking around and explaining what everything was whenever anyone asked. "Is he really all alone?"

The last time Nana had looked Tsuna was trying to stop Lambo from diving head first into the giant bowl of pudding Kouske had wheeled out earlier. He should probably go over there and parent that, but a bazooka . A time traveling. Bazooka.

"He is," Nana scowled. "I called… uh, around and from what I could find no one came with him."

"That's horrible," Aiko put her next forkful of cake down, eyes drifting towards where they could hear Tsuna screaming, Hayato yelling, and Takeshi and Kyoko laughing. Every once in a while an "EXTREME!" would make it in there. The three paternal figures turned away from the chaos.

"What are you going to do?" Tsuyoshi wondered, stuffing at least three creampuffs into his mouth at once.

"I'm checking on his home situation first," Nana leaned back, cutting into the piece of Daifuku Lavina had handed to him the moment he walked in. It was… there were no words to describe it. Too good. That's what it was. "If it turns out like how we're thinking it is… well…"

"Oh, Nana," Aiko smiled, eyes crinkling at the edges.

"What?" he flushed, stuffing a forkful into his mouth and trying to hold back the sounds of a person melting into a puddle of deliciousness.

"If you're going to be embarrassing Nana," Natsuki appeared between the Yamamoto couple, "then you should do it where everyone else can join in."

"Rude," Nana tried to say. It came out more like "rueb" but he felt like the point got across.

"Sorry Natsuki-chan," Aiko patted her arm, "we were just talking about Lambo-chan."

"I was wondering about that one," the tall woman studiously ignored the shrieks coming from the far end of the room. She was sure her son would get tired of it eventually and take care of it himself. "How did you find him?"

Tsuyoshi leaned closer, grinning boyishly. "You're never going to believe this."

"I'll let you two tell her," Nana rolled his eyes. "My plate is empty."

"Well, that's not okay," Tsuyoshi laughed, shooing him away.

The screams of chaos suddenly transformed into shrieks of fear. Nana made sure to stay as far away from that part of the room as he possibly could. Kyoya held no mercy.

Thankfully, the Snickerdoodles were on Nana's side of the room.

"These are the best Lavina!" Nana called out.

She waved back happily from where she was chattering with Kouske about what everyone thought. It was one of the few times the man looked, dare Nana say it, happy .

It was kind of horrifying.

The night ended with 'the judging'. Lambo was passed out in one of the spare rooms with Ryhoei (that boy had to learn what the word 'limit' meant, honestly). Everyone else was in the main room, spread out across the various seats. Natsuki sitting next to Aiko and Tsuyoshi on the couch, Kyoko and her mother Miyu on the ground in front of them. Ryu and Shouto were sharing the love seat while Michelle and Nana took the other one. Tsuna, Hayato, and Takeshi were on the bench lining the windows, Tsuna hunched down with a deadpan expression as the other two bickered (or one of them bickered while the other just laughed). Reborn was just… sitting on the coffee table. Cause why not.

Lavina and Kouske stood at the front of the room, holding up photos of the various desserts they had made. Whenever a new one was shown they would all hold up the scoreboards Miyu had made the last time when loudly cheering turned out to be a poor constructive criticism medium.

"That is everything," Kouske flipped through their list. Nodding he set it aside and looked at all of them. "Go home now."

"You have such a way with words," Nana drawled out, rolling his eyes. Stretching he left his houseguests and kids to get their things while he went to grab Lambo. Ryohei had was stumbling down the stairs when he passed. He grinned at Nana, giving him an enthusiastic thumbs up. Nana shook his head, smiling back.

Lambo was still on the bed. He was under the covers, curled up in a ball. When Nana pulled the sheet away he felt his heart clench a bit.

Lambo was sniffling in his sleep, thumb in his mouth making it clear he'd never grown out of the habit. Small track of tears were rolling down his red cheeks. Nana pulled his hand gently out of his mouth and scooped him up gently into his arms. Humming under his breath he held him against his shoulder and rubbed small circles into his back. The sniffles slowly subsided and, once he was comfortably asleep, Nana walked him back to the main room. Everyone was already ready to go and paired with full stomachs (and a lack of energy, thank you Kyoya) they were all ready for bed.

The walk back was quiet, the Sasegawa family branching off first, soon followed by the Yamamotos. Michelle had stayed at the Hibari's house (Nana wanted to hope it wasn't for more work, but judging by the wire-rimmed glasses the woman had been putting on when they left he wouldn't count on it).

_"You already seem fairly attached_."

Lambo breathed squeakily against Nana's cheek, tiny hands curled into his shirt like a security blanket. Nana had almost forgotten what it was like to hold a young child.

"I'm keeping him," Nana decided.

_"What about his family?"_

"If they wanted him they wouldn't have sent him to another country," He scowled, lifting Lambo up a bit to make him more comfortable. "Unless they show up at my door and everything we know is wrong, he's staying with us."

Nana would make sure of it.

**-00-**

**Review Responses:**

**Lil Hamari: **Adorable name, I love it! And thank you for such kind words! Ryu has got his hands full XD

**bloodshound:** Aw, sweet! I'm glad it lived up to your expectations!

**Animadow:** Well I love everything about you! You're too nice! I hope you like the next chapter too!

**Madrigal-in-training:** So, you're awesome. So many reviews! And all so amazingly kind! How do you do? How do you do what you do?! Thank you so much for telling me which parts you liked and why too. That seriously helps me know what parts had the most impact. I appreciate you so much! *Bear hugs*

**SoraltheSol:** And I love _you _random citizen!

**KrazyKittyKat3: **/Neverstopsayingthesays/ Thank you!

**TheManyFacesofAnon: **It could be a thing ;D Cool username by the way!

**ChaosHearth: **As you wish, so shall it be! Next chapter, here you go!

**MetroNeko: **Spot on guesswork friend! You nailed it!


	16. Poison Cooking

**Namimori is a weird place.**

**Nana has best son.**

**There are disagreements.**

**Tsuyoshi won't go home.**

**Natsuki can't go home.**

**Poison is tasty.**

**-00-**

Poison Cooking

**-00-**

Let it be known, right here, right now, that Nana was not and will never be okay with things flying through the window at six in the morning. Which, for all you normal folk out there, was understandable. _Reasonable. _But in _Namimori, _people, when faced with your complaints of who knows what going through your house at ungodly speeds at equally ungodly hours, would liken it to children complaining about having to go to school. Yes, it was annoying. Yes, you would prefer if it didn't happen unless you were bored out of your mind. No, you could not stop it from happening. And it would always happen. Always.

"I don't WANT it!" Nana roared, rearing back into the pitcher's position that won them five games in a row during that one summer tournament with all the fireballs and heated debates about the best places to fish (looking back on it, he guessed it _was _kind of obvious that everyone else was from criminal backgrounds). Breathing harshly through his nose he flung the box, perfectly sized to fit in his hand like they _wanted_ him to chuck it, and threw it right back out the window he had left open to fill the house with fresh, start-of-the-day air before everyone else woke up.

"It's a gift!" Tsuyoshi's laughter filtered in as the box lazy flew back through the window and landed on the kitchen table without so much as a _thunk_. Whatever witchcraft the man was working Nana was hardpressed to deny its badassery. Nonetheless…

"You don't need to get me gifts!" Nana curve balled it this time.

"But we did anyway! At least open it!"

The gentle touch of box to wood made Nana scream internally.

"You fold paper like shit Tsuyoshi, no offense!" Nana yelled back, adding in just the slightest bit of Flames in the next throw. The following 'oof' and thudding noise made him feel triumphant for all of two seconds before the box was back once more. "I know Kouske had a hand in this! Those eerily symmetrical quarter edge corner folds are always his go-to!"

"Is that true?" Tsuyoshi asked someone. Nana, with rising horror, realized he had not been alone.

"Is Kouske _with _you?! Why would you do this to me?!"

"Actually…" Aiko's voice sounded soft. Hesitant.

Guilty.

"Oh my god," Nana dropped his arm from its rocket launch position and stomped towards the window. Sticking nearly his entire body out he squinted at the line of people waiting just inside the fence line. "_Why _are you already inside the fence? Why didn't you just knock on the front door to begin with! You had to walk all the way around the house just to get here!"

"This way was more fun," Lavina clapped happily, head tilted as the sunrise filtered through her hair like little beams of heaven.

"Lavina," Nana sighed, shoulders slumping. "Why are you out there? You're never even up this early on a Friday, why the hell are you sneaking out of your own home to do… whatever this is."

"I had Reborn-chan make sure I didn't oversleep," she informed him with a happy little clap of her hands. She must have been awake for a while if she was already so energized. "The others heard about all the new house renovations, the new house guests, and the _piano," _her voice dropped, quivering with delight, before picking right back up as she counted off on her fingers, "so I invited them all over to have a little tour!"

Nana buried his face in his hands. "And why didn't you just tell me all that?"

"Well, I know how much you like surprises-"

"What the fuck, I _hate _surpr-"

"And Tsuyoshi said it would be a good idea."

Tsuyoshi laughed boisterously, hands on his hips despite the squinty-eyed glare being leveled at him. "Good surprises are always good!"

"...I guess?" Nana went limp against the windowsill, giving up the fight against logic. "Why are you throwing things through my window?"

"That was Natsuki's idea," Aiko tossed the other woman under the bus with nary a blink.

Natsuki twisted one of the leaves of the strawberry plants along the sides of the fence gently between her fingers. "I wanted to know what you would do if a random package appeared in your home."

"You failed," Kouske informed her.

Nana flipped him off, still hanging from the windowsill like a rag. It was partially their fault that his first response to random shit flying through his window was to toss it right back out and return to his business. Namimori had conditioned him.

"You all might as well come in," he rolled his eyes, lifting off the window like a worm. "If you grab some of the peppers and onions I can make a pretty good frittata- you lying little shits."

Kouske stepped towards the front of the house, a handful of peppers already in each hand.

"You didn't come to give a good surprise, you came so I would make you food! You all came together cause you thought it would throw me off enough to agree!"

"We brought a gift too." Tsuyoshi offered.

Nana scowled, turning his back on him and glaring down on the box. "This had better be something awesome!"

"Open it and see!"

While the group of mooching adults all disappeared to the front of the house (either Lavina had her key or Natsuki would pick the lock, they'd be fine on their own) Nana peeled off the wrapping paper. It came off easily, the wrapping being both efficient and pleasing to the eye. He wondered what they bribed Kouske with.

"Ah," he let out a soft noise of excitement once he set the lid aside. Nestled on a white foam cushion was a locket just a little bigger than his thumb in the shape of a flower. Five petals were in the front with a second set placed between them to look like a back layered level. It was a simple silver and when he ran his fingers along the edges he realized that each petal flipped back to show a different picture.

One had the whole Yamamoto family, all squished together and grinning their blinding best. The petal right next to that one had Lavina sitting down in what must have been the garden, Hayato bent over a bit behind her with pink cheeks and a sheepish grin to match her warm one. Underneath the third petal, Natsuki was smiling a little bit, half of her cut off in what was clearly a picture taken from her phone. Kouske was in the background, unaware, and lifting a very small Kyoya in the air to see him better. It was a picture Nana had never seen before of a moment he never would have imagined possible. Little baby Kyoya was staring down at his father curiously while Kouske looked up at him with a type of warmth Nana could empathize with deep in his bones. In the one next to it Ryohei was lifting both his mother and Kyoko on his shoulders, triumphant. Kyoko was laughing, arms thrown in the air like she was on a roller coaster, while Miyu was gripping onto his shoulders tightly and smiling shakily enough to let Nana know this had definitely not been her idea. The last front petal had a picture he hadn't seen in years. It had been tucked away in his old photo album for a long time, someone must have called Toshi to get it. It was of the day he had left to go to boarding school. Ten-year-old Nana was in the middle with Toshi standing behind them looking two seconds away from crying. Hanazawa-san was on the left, looking like she had been cut straight out of an old feudal self-portrait. The Masaki couple was on the right, holding hands and looking more at each other than the camera. It was Nana's favorite picture from when he was a kid.

The rest of the petals were empty. Nana flicked them back and forth, blinking rapidly. His thumb caught on the center circle.

"Jeez, this has a lot of stuff," Nana sniffed, gently opening the center cover.

Nana, pale-faced and raccoon-eyed, had the newly born Tsuna held up so that their foreheads were pressed together. Their eyes were closed, lips curled in the way Nana hated because it always broadcasted to the world that they were about to burst into tears. Tsuna had his hands on their face, light blue eyes wide and curious.

Nana's lips curled up, pressed tightly together as he blinked.

"I told you," Lavina whispered conspiratorially from the doorway.

Natsuki passed by him, hand brushing over his shoulder as she moved to drop off some of the peppers into the sink. Tsuyoshi nudged his shoulder, Aiko giving him a quick hug, as they also moved to deposit their vegetables. Lavina walked up next to him, wrapping an arm around his waist and leaning her head on top of his.

"Like it?"

Nana hip bumped her lightly, resting against her. "I love it. Where did you even find something like this?"

"Kouske ordered it," Lavina murmured as the man breezed past them. He kicked Tsuyoshi out of the way when the man just laughed and kept stepping in front of him. "But it was Tsuna-chan that came up with the idea. He's the one that went around asking for all the pictures too."

"Tsu-kun?"

"Morning Dad."

Nana twisted his head at the embarrassed greeting.

Tsuna shuffled a bit, half-hidden by the doorway. Reborn was settled in his hair like usual but the baby hopped off when he moved towards them.

Lavina gave him a quick squeeze before joining the others at the sink. She started ordering them around, divvying out the jobs for the morning.

Tsuna was curled inwards, cheeks bright red. Nana wrapped his arms around him, grinning when he melted into the hug.

"Thank you for the necklace Tsu-kun. I love it."

He hugged back, humming happily in the back of his throat. "...Happy Mother's Day, Dad."

Oh.

Tsuna made a strangled noise when Nana suddenly tightened the hug, twisting back and forth.

"I have the best son ever," he boasted, leaning back to kiss his forehead. "Literally the best. Look at this you losers! Best son! Ever!"

"Those are fighting words Nana!" Tsuyoshi pointed a spatula at him threateningly. It was overshadowed by his grin but the words held a bit of competitive steel.

"Bring it Fish Man!"

Tsuna sighed, smiling. Pulling out his phone he checked the group text they had all made a few months ago.

**Kyoko-chan: **My mom said she gets off at 8 tonight.

**Takeshi: **That works out great then! I can help you get everything set up if Nii-san tries to help too.

**Kyoko-chan: **Thank you Takeshi-kun, I was afraid I'd have to leave him alone or let him in the kitchen.

**Takeshi: **I've got kitchen duty then! You're way better at keeping him busy :D Hayato can get all the decorations and stuff while you're busy.

**Hayato: **Don't just volunteer people for shit you baseball freak!

**Kyoko-chan: **You'll really help Hayato-kun? That's so nice of you!

**Hayato: **This is why I hate you people. I'll be there at 7. No earlier!

**Kyo-kun has joined the conversation**

**Kyo-kun: **Keep her there.

**Kyo-kun has left the conversation**

Tsuna sweat-dropped at the most recent message. He hadn't realized it was possible to invite yourself into group messages (especially after Kyoya had left two seconds after they invited him the first time) but it was probably best not to question it. His time would be better spent deciphering his messages on the rare cases they would pop up. Kyoya would stick to the smallest amount of words possible, no context what-so-ever. It was up to them to figure out what he was telling them at any given time.

At least this time seemed pretty obvious. Kyoya hadn't answered him when he had asked about his Mother's Day plans but he hadn't scoffed either. That meant he had _something_ in mind.

...How long was he supposed to keep Hibari-san away from her home?

"Oh!" Lavina looked at the clock, swiftly tossing her apron to Tsuyoshi. The man slipped it over his own head, twirling a bit to show off the cat with a chef's hat stitched into the front. Kouske shoved him out of the way, flipping the knife in his hand in a 'I'm absolutely showing off, feel bad about yourselves mortals' way. "I've got to get going. Hayato asked me to spend the day with him."

Nana looked around. The sun had risen, like, thirty minutes ago. "Where is Hayato?"

"He told me to go to the Crepe stand and wait for him there. He left earlier."

Tsuna and Nana shared a look. Their friends really did go above and beyond. All the time.

"I'll walk you there," Kouske handed his knife to his wife and narrowed his eyes at Tsuyoshi. "This better be done by the time I get back."

"Have some faith," Tsuyoshi laughed, twirling a spatula in his hand and turning to the stove.

Kouske stared at him. He turned and walked out.

"I'll see you later," Lavina hugged the two Sawada's, pressing a kiss to both of their cheeks. "Happy Mother's Day Nana."

"Happy Mother's Day Lavina," he replied with a strongly pointed look.

Lavina gave her twittering little bird laugh of avoidance, dancing out the door.

Once Nana was able to shove their way past Tsuyoshi ("Get your ass out of the way!" "Not until you admit Takeshi is the best son!") they were able to finish up breakfast quickly. It was helpful having so many people to order around, even if some of them were annoying as hell. Soon enough they were all sitting down and eating.

"Good morning Ryu-kun," Nana waved cheerily, swaying a bit in his seat.

Ryu blinked, not quite stepping into the kitchen as he peered at the people spread around the room. "Good morning…?"

Nana nodded empathetically. "Feel free to ignore them. They just wanted food."

"And good company!" Tsuyoshi cheered out of a mouth half full. Aiko shook her head, reaching up to brush off some of the crumbs around the corner of his mouth.

"It's good to see you again Hanazawa-san," Aiko smiled at him, waiting to take a bite until she was finished speaking like a civilized human being.

Nana couldn't see Shouto but he could definitely hear him grumbling behind his husband.

Michelle breezed in, easily dancing around the bodies piled into the room. She filled a plate and walked back out with a wave.

"You guys don't have anything to work on today?" Nana wondered, swallowing a mouthful of food down quickly so he didn't accidentally spit food on anyone.

"Michelle is a woman in high demand," Natsuki sipped at her water like it was a fancy wine. "And I have a feeling I would be unwelcome at home right now."

"Whatever do you mean?" Nana said, voice squeaking a bit. He looked away, sweating, when the tall woman raised an eyebrow.

"I see," she smirked. Letting the conversation go she turned to chat with Tsuyoshi.

Shit. Nana totally fucked that up. Kyoya was going to kill him.

"Here is Lamb- Gupya!"

Nana leaned around the table. Lambo was near the entrance, ducking away from Shouto's legs as the man grabbed thirds (or fourths, it was hard to tell with him) only to be nearly run over by Tsuna when he stood up to put his dishes away.

Tsuna looked down at him. Putting his dishes back down he bent over to pick up the toddler.

"Good morning Lambo," he smiled awkwardly.

Lambo stared at him with wide eyes before laughing loudly. "Hahaha, good morning cry baby Tsuna!"

"Okay," Tsuna sighed. Grabbing one of the seat pillows off of an empty chair he put it on top of his own so that Lambo could see over the edge of the table when he sat down. Patting his fluffy black hair absentmindedly Tsuna went back to cleaning up.

Nana smiled happily, heart warm. "Good morning Lambo-kun."

Lambo flushed, ducking his head and wiggling in his spot. His voice was much softer than Nana thought it would be and he had to lean forward again to hear him. "G'morning Maman."

Maman?

"Kuh," Nana clutched his chest, leaning back like he'd been shot.

His head hit the person that walked in behind him.

Kouske looked down at him. "...Disgusting."

"In my _own house-!"_

"Here you go Lambo-kun," Ryu set a small plate of food in front of the boy, smiling down at him. "Let Shouto know if you want seconds, okay?"

Shouto grunted, still standing by the stove while he ate.

"Lambo can eat everything!"

"Oh ho~!" Tsuyoshi grinned, wielding his fork like a sword. "That sounds like a challenge! How about it kid? First one to finish their food wins!"

Lambo, who had shrunk away from the intimidating height of Tsuyoshi the first time they met, cackled. "No one beats Lambo!"

"Don't eat too fast," Nana warned, smacking Tsuyoshi in the shoulder. "You'll get a tummy ache."

"Lambo doesn't get tummy aches," Lambo argued.

"That's very cool," Nana assured him, "but in this kitchen, we eat slow. If you don't eat slow, you can't eat in here."

Which meant he would have to eat in the main room, with Nana watching over him to make sure he didn't hurt himself, but Lambo must have taken it as he wouldn't get to eat at all.

"Lambo will eat the slowest of all!" he cried, lips wobbling.

"Then lets do that," Tsuyoshi nodded. "The first one to finish their food loses!"

"Yeah!"

Nana sighed as the two boys started to move like they were in slow motion. "This is going to be my whole morning, isn't it?"

"That's a shame," Aiko stood suddenly, putting her things away and beelining for the door. "I have a nail appointment, have fun Nana!"

"Wait, no, Aiko! Don't _leave _him here!"

She didn't come back.

Tsuyoshi and Lambo, as a show of who could move the slowest, were chewing with their mouths wide open and making exaggerated 'ahh' sounds.

Tsuyoshi's mouth clicked shut when Kouske reached out with a spatula to smack his chin up. He grinned up at the man sheepishly.

"Don't eat with your mouth open," Nana admonished as well, using a napkin to wipe off the excess food around Lambo's mouth. He leaned into the touch happily, mouth closing and cheeks puffing up.

"Nana," Natsuki called for his attention. "It appears I will be here for most of the day. If you have anything you need to do I can watch over the children."

"Is Tsuna staying home too?" Tsuyoshi wondered, mouth full.

"No," Natsuki stared him dead in the eye. He grinned.

"Thanks, Natsuki," Nana bowed his head to the merciful goddess. "I have some training to do this morning and I wasn't quite sure what do with Lambo now that everyone seems to be heading out."

"I'm heading out!" Tsuna peeked his head in to wave goodbye, tie askew and hair extra puffed up.

Nana jumped up to follow him, startling a bit when Reborn appeared out of nowhere and landed in his arms with a plateful of food.

...Letting that go for now.

"Have fun at school Tsu-kun!" Nana stepped out to say goodbye.

"Study hard," Reborn offered his own encouragement, taking a bite of his eggs. Tsuna turned to wave at them, deadpanning at the baby before rushing down the street.

Nana looked down at Reborn, mimicking his son's expression. "You can walk, why am I your chair?"

"It isn't good for children when they are moving and eating at the same time."

"Oh, so now you're a child," Nana rolled his eyes. "I'm not carrying you around until you're done eating. You have to eat in the kitchen like everyone else."

"No need," Reborn hopped down, leaving his plates in Nana's crossed arms. "I have business to attend to."

"Hey!" Nana shouted after him. "Put your dishes in the sink! You little-"

He was already gone.

"I'm leaving these for when you come back!" he warned.

Marching back into the house he dumped the plate and fork into the sink.

"Reborn is on dish duty today," he made sure to let everyone know. They all gave various acknowledgments.

Checking to make sure Lambo was still okay (he seemed to be winning the contest) he left to get ready.

Usually, Flame training was left until later in the evening, but today he was definitely going to be too busy so it was best to get it in as soon as he could.

"I'm heading out!" he called, slipping on his shoes. "I'll be back in two hours, tops!"

He was not leaving Natsuki to deal with both Lambo, Tsuyoshi, _and _Kouske (so what if he was her husband, he was still a handful) all on her own for very long.

"Goodbye Nana-san," Ryu's head peeked out from the kitchen doorway. He waved cheerfully before disappearing. Random shouts, which he assumed were goodbyes, echoed down the hall. Before anything crazy could happen to keep him home Nana walked out and locked the door behind him.

"_Today you need to focus on sensing other flames. Your offense and defense are progressing smoothly but you will most likely find it difficult to notice stronger enemies if they have an aptitude for stealth."_

"I guess I should stop relying on you for that," Nana nodded, jogging down the street towards the base of The Mountain. "Alright, let's do it!"

"_Your enthusiasm is appreciated. Please try to keep a hold of that feeling instead of finishing our session today in your typical grumpy, irritable state."_

"For fucks sake man, learn to read the mood."

"_I have, that's precisely why I made such a request."_

"Ugh," Nana groaned.

-00-

"Ugh," Tsuna groaned. Leaden feet carrying him down the street. "Why is it so hot? It's too early to be this hot."

Summer was coming up soon but it looked like the heat was going to be starting early that year. Dad would need more help with the garden. Kyo-kun usually kept everything watered on the weekends (or he made one of the disciplinary committee members do it for him if Dad wasn't around to notice) but the weekdays were up to Tsuna and Lavina. And Hayato too, now that he thought about it. Maybe things would be easier this year with him around to help out. He always seemed over-eager to join any of them outside.

...It was so hot. He wished Dad let him skip today like Lavina-obasan let Hayato. Then again, Hayato was the top of their class. Missing a day probably meant nothing when it came to him.

The high-pitched ring of a bike bell sounded behind him. Tsuna stepped to the side, wiping at his forehead. He blinked when the bike pulled up next to him.

The woman riding the bicycle held themselves up with the sizeable heel of their shoes. Tsuna tilted his head at the black leather pants. Wasn't she overheating in those things? Leather was really not the best thing to wear on hot days like this one. The t-shirt (with some kind of English phrase on it. He knew how to read a little bit but he had no idea what 'Abarth' meant. Maybe it was a brand?) was fine but the helmet and goggles on her head she had to be feeling at least a little bit hot right?

"Boy," she called to him, pulling off the helmet and goggles as she spoke. Long, pink hair fell around her gracefully.

'Whoa,' Tsuna squinted a bit. 'She's really pretty.'

The tendrils of red that surrounded her looked a lot like the red he'd see around Hayato most of the time. They started out a darker shade and then slowly got lighter as they stretched around her. She didn't have any other colors like Hayato did but hers were just as pretty to look at.

"Here."

Tsuna shrieked a bit, fumbling with the can she tossed at him. He just barely managed to hold onto it, both hands wrapped around its sides.

"U-uh, thank you," he looked back up.

The woman was already pedaling away.

Tsuna fiddled with the can. He really shouldn't drink things he got from strangers but it was _so _hot outside. And she hadn't felt like a bad person. Besides, this was Namimori. Nodding to himself he pulled on the tab to open the can.

Tsuna took several large gulps, shoulders relaxing as the cool liquid hit his throat. The taste was kind of tangy, like orange juice. It had a weird after-taste too. Like those meals Dad would make whenever his old school sent them things. He used to hate the taste but with time he'd come to like it. It was refreshing and it reminded him of when he was little with just him and Dad at home watching silly shows and playing games.

Tsuna smiled and flicked at the metal tab. Pulling out his water bottle he dumped it out and poured the rest of the soda in. He wanted to save some for Dad to try. If he got thirsty he could always drink from the water fountains.

Reborn frowned, glancing at his watch as he followed Tsuna's path through the scope of his sniper rifle. He'd had the antidote to the poison loaded and ready at a moments notice, prepared to shoot the second it took affect.

The boy was happily walking to school, somehow in a better mood after drinking what had to be a highly toxic mixture of Bianchi's favorite ingredients.

Reborn followed after him from the rooftops, finger itching on the trigger, but the longer it took for any signs to show the less likely it seemed that poison was having any effect at all.

As Tsuna went through his school day Reborn kept his antidote close at hand, but not once did he falter. The day seemed to be going great for Tsuna and he had even more energy than usual. As though the attempted assassination had actually encouraged him somehow.

'Interesting.'

-00-

It was three in the afternoon when Natsuki decided it was time for everyone to go home. Kouske had come and gone from the house like he owned it (and Nana was hard-pressed to call him out on it seeing as how he'd built, like, eighty percent of it) but Tsuyoshi stayed the whole time. Aiko never came back, but Tsuyoshi kept looking at his phone and giggling like a young school girl so Nana was sure wherever she was, she was having a blast.

Lavina wouldn't be home until much later, Hayato seemed to want to go all out for his first real Mother's Day in years. Nana had his fingers crossed that they'd both fess up (he was pretty sure Hayato knew by now, the kid was way to smart to not put two and two together) but he wasn't holding out too much for that. Hayato had gotten his mother's deep-seated worry of burdening others with selfish needs (which Nana labeled BULLSHIT in all caps with police tape) so that would probably take some more time. Or outside interference, but Nana wouldn't go there unless he felt he really had to.

When Natsuki left Lambo was down for a nap and Tsuyoshi was reading in the main room. Ryu and Shouto must have gone out at some point because Nana had no idea where they disappeared to. Probably to the post office, at least. She had helped Ryu box up the gorgeous shawl he had gotten for Hanazawa-san. Nana bet fifty bucks the old woman would tear up and sniff daintily into her lavender stitched handkerchief when she opened it (he also thought it was super sweet that Ryu always kept his Grandma in mind for Mother's Day). Shouto bet that she would use the Cyrsanthemum handkerchief. Ryu gave them both a polite, close-mouthed smile that spoke volumes.

They shook on their bets when they were alone after he left to get tape.

"I'm home," Tsuna called, stretching his arms above his head. Nana padded around the corner, flour dashed across his cheek.

"Welcome home Tsu-kun!"

Tsuna looked at the necklace hanging from his neck and smiled dorkily.

"I'm almost done with Miyu's lunches. Want to help?"

"Sure!" he lifted his backpack and dug through it. "I'm gonna go get changed. I had- where'd I put it? I got this drink as a gift this morning and it reminded me of the school meals. From your old boarding school."

"Really?" Nana tilted his head, patting his hands against his apron to dislodge any loose flour. It was hard to find anything that actually tasted like the meals from his old school here in Japan. Foreign foods just always had a unique taste that couldn't fully be replicated unless you were in its country of origin. He always had to order out of the country or wait until the Alumni committee sent some out as a celebration.

"Here it is!" he pulled out his water bottle and handed it over. Taking the stairs two at a time (and tripping while he did so) he rushed to get changed.

Nana went back to the kitchen, twisting off the lid curiously. He was getting rather thirsty.

Nana downed half of it, wiping his mouth on the back of his wrist. Taking a moment to just relax he leaned over the counter and reached out to flip through his planner while he waited. The drink was delicious. It fizzed a bit like soda but it tasted mostly like orange juice. And Tsuna was right, it did have that particular after taste all of his meals from school always had.

Reborn stared at him from the kitchen doorway, glancing from the clock and back. "...Nana."

"Hmm?" he looked up, tipping the water bottle to make sure it was completely empty.

"Have you ever been poisoned?"

Nana looked slowly at the empty drink in his hand. "...That's a really ominous thing to say right after I finished drinking something."

"I didn't poison it."

"Kay," he said slowly, not believing him at all. He didn't feel sick or anything but he wouldn't put it past him to use a slow-acting, super asshole-ish poison. "I've never been poisoned before. Besides, like, food poisoning. I got that a lot when I was little but that was a long time ago."

Something like interest sparked in those void-like eyes. "When you were at boarding school?"

"Yeah," he tossed the water bottle in the sink. "The spices were so weird, it took a long time for my body to adjust. It gave me a stomach of steel though. You should have seen the look on the other girl's faces when we had our graduation dinner. The teachers told us they would be having us try all kinds of foreign stuff and the others were kind of hesitant but I was used to having to get used to new things so I ate _way_ too much. Lavina thought I was going to die."

"Have you ever made any of those dishes for Tsuna?"

"Oh yeah, of course," Nana nodded, gesturing towards his cookbooks. "I knew we would travel every once in a while and I didn't want him getting sick whenever we went somewhere. The school was really cool about it when I called and asked for the recipes. They helped me make a whole diet plan for him when I was freaked out about how slowly he was growing and they sent us a lot of the ingredients that I couldn't get here."

"Did he ever get sick from eating any of their ingredients?"

Nana thought about it. "Not really. He'd get a stomach ache if he ate too much but my old teacher always sent a guide for how much to feed him so that didn't happen often. It really helped him get the nutrients he needed and it helped boost his growth. Now he's only a little behind, where he might have been years below the average physical growth scales."

Reborn hopped up onto the counter, pulling out the cookbook and flipping it open. "Do they still send you things?"

"Sometimes," Nana stretched his arms above his head. "Usually for things like celebrations and anniversaries. I've gotten double the stuff since Lavina started living here so we can make some pretty cool meals for about a month or so. I think the next one is later this year actually."

Reborn tapped his fingers against one particular page, his usual smug little grin in place. "You are making my job easier again."

"By feeding my child?" Nana laughed. "If common health practices are that rare then I know exactly what we're going to change first when we take over the mafia."

Reborn was staring at him again.

"...We?"

"Yes?" he tilted her head. "You're helping right? For Tsuna, of course, but that's what I'm doing too so we're both in the same boat. There's only so much I can do anyway, I didn't grow up in that kind of setting so it'd be better to have someone familiar with it here too. Unless you don't want to, that's fine. I'm pretty sure Kouske and Natsuki are actually criminal overlords so they can jump in if you don't want any part of it."

Reborn shook his head, fedora tilting over his face as he reached up to pat Leon on the head. "The longer I stay here the more idiotic that man becomes," he sighed.

"Kouske?"

"No," he jumped down, the book held out. "Make this next time."

Nana looked over the Spinach Tortellini. "If you want this you have to plant the spinach. Or pick some up from the store but it has to be good stuff. Tsuna can show you how to check if you don't already know."

Reborn tipped his hat and walked out, smirking.

Nana burped, patting his stomach. As soon as Tsuna was ready they could finish up the week's worth of meals they were making for Miyu (that woman worked way too much, she seriously need some R&R) and they could head over to the Sasegawa household.

"Ah man," he sighed, already regretting drinking the soda/juice thing so fast. "Now I'm going to be craving that all day."

-00-

Lavina and Hayato got home right when they were finishing packing everything away.

"You two look happy," Nana grinned at them.

Hayato blushed and Lavina immediately went on a cheerful ramble of the things they had done. Apparently, most of it was just them sitting and talking over different foods but Lavina was ecstatic when she showed off the beautiful flower hairpin holding her silver tresses back from her face.

"Dang," Nana whistled, standing on his toes to look at it closer. They were yellow Cala Lilies, Lavina's favorite, and they had silver diamonds (that looked way too real, where the heck did he get the money for this) embedded at the center of each flower. It was big enough to wrap delicately around both sides of her head, cutting off just at the ear. "This is awesome Hayato-kun. Good choice."

Hayato preened under the compliment.

"Oh," Lavina spotted the stack of wrapped lunchboxes. "Is it time to head over already?"

"Nah," Nana shook his head. "We've still got time but I want to run by the store and pick up a cake."

"Store-bought," Lavina huffed, scowling. A scowl on her face was… really weird. And adorable. It did absolutely nothing in the way of intimidation and it honestly just made Nana want to coo and tease her.

"Yes, store-bought. It's _tradition_ Lavina."

"You're always telling me how 'tradition shouldn't dictate every aspect of our lives' but the moment someone tries to stop the cake one you-"

"Hey now, I said that about life stifling traditions! Don't take my words out of context! Store-bought cake is hurting no one!"

"Except for your sense of taste."

"I think it tastes good."

"Exactly."

Tsuna and Hayato exchanged a look as the two bickered back and forth.

"Did everything go okay?" Tsuna asked quietly.

"Yeah," Hayato said softly, looking back at Lavina with a happy little smile. "It was… a lot of fun. The most fun I've ever had with her."

Tsuna couldn't hold back his smile even if he tried. "I'm really happy for you Hayato."

The silverette blushed and looked away.

"Fine," Nana threw his hands up. "Fine, you can come with. But you have to _actually _pick one this time. The best one doesn't mean meeting all of your impossible standards, it means the best one of the group in front of you."

"You really shouldn't settle Nana," Lavina lectured, settling her purse back over her shoulders. "If they're not good enough, they're not good enough."

"This is cake Lavina, not life partners. Where's your wheelchair? Did you walk most of the day?"

"It's by the front door. I should be okay until we get to the store but I'll need it on the way back."

"Kay. Need a drink before we go?"

"No, I've made sure to stay hydrated all day and we shouldn't put this off any longer or we might be late."

Nana nodded. "Alright. We'll be right back boys. Tsu-kun, Lambo is playing in his room but I'm sure he must be running out of things to entertain himself with. Make sure to check on him okay?"

"Okay Dad."

"Oh, and Tsuyoshi is in the main room. I think he's asleep. Just kick him if you need anything."

"Dad, I'm not kicking Yamamoto-san."

"He wouldn't even notice. Or care. Do either of you need anything while we're out?"

"No."

"No, thank you Nana-san."

"Alright, bye Tsu-kun, bye Hayato-kun!"

"Goodbye Hayato, Tsuna-chan."

Tsuna and Hayato waved at them as they picked right back up with their argument once they were out the door.

"Our families are weird," Tsuna sighed.

"Yeah," Hayato grinned.

Leaving Hayato to check on Tsuyoshi (he didn't really get along with Lambo yet) Tsuna went up to the room next to his Dad's.

He wanted to be surprised by how quickly Dad had thrown a room together for Lambo, stocked with toys, books, and clothes, but he really wasn't. The second Lambo had told them that his family (his 'boss'?) were in Italy Tsuna had been pretty sure about what was going to happen next.

"Lambo?" he called, cracking the door open.

Lambo was in the middle of the room, block towers surrounding him and little toy figures of people lined up in a circle around him.

Tsuna sweatdropped when he realized they were all made to look like they were bowing to him.

"Ahahahaha! That's right! Lambo-san is the greatest hitman now! Isn't that right Reborn?"

He reached out to the toy bear with a fedora on its head, making it nod.

Something whizzed by Tsuna's face, hitting the bear out of Lambo's hand and into the wall behind it.

"Identity theft is a crime punishable by death."

"Reborn!" Tsuna yelled, jumping away from the hitman that had appeared out of thin air. "N-no it's not! You don't kill people for that!"

"I do."

"No!"

Lambo trembled, knocking down the towers around him as he pinwheeled his arms. "L-Lambo _is _the greatest hitman ever! Maman said so!"

"Maman lied."

Lambo looked like he had been shot instead of the bear.

"No, no, no," Tsuna rushed over to placate him, lifting him up and patting his hair. "Dad doesn't lie like that. If he said you are then he believes it."

"R-really?" Lambo looked up at him with snot dribbling down his face.

Tsuna grimaced, already mourning his shirt. "Y-yeah. Reborn, you shouldn't say things like that. It's mean."

Reborn ignored him, finishing off the model of Namimori he had been working on while their backs were turned.

"What the heck?!" Tsuna gapped. There wasn't even enough block to make this, how the hell did he-

"Whoooaaaaa!" Lambo leaned forward excitedly. "It's Lambo Town!"

Reborn flicked a plastic person into his forehead. With a flourish, he placed down a sign that said 'The City of Reborn'.

"Oh my God," Tsuna shook his head. "Seriously?"

"Don't worry Tsuna," Reborn opened the door. "You can live there too so long as you pay the price."

"I'm not paying any price. No one would want to live there anyway. I bet it's run completely by criminals!"

"You shouldn't speak poorly about your people Tsuna."

"They're not my people!"

"They're Lambo's people!"

"No!"

-00-

"This is wonderful!" Kyoko clasped her hands together, eyes sparkling. "Onii-chan and I would have never been able to do all of this on our own. Thank you so much!"

"EXTREME!" Ryohei pumped his fists in the air before reaching out to grab Tsuna (easily ignoring Hayato's shout of anger). "This is awesome! Thank you very much!"

"God I wish I had that energy," Nana muttered to Lavina. She nodded back wistfully.

"I-It's no trouble Nii-san," Tsuna tried to shake off the older boy when he shook him back and forth. "We should probably get going soon though, right? Your Mom will be back any minute."

"You're right!" Ryohei shouted, still shaking him. "But you should all stay! More is always better!"

"Oi, Turf-Top!" Hayato rolled up his sleeves, stalking towards him. "Let go of Tsuna right now or so help me-"

He got cut off when Takeshi hooked an arm around his throat, cheerfully holding him back. "We'd love to stay, but I've got dinner with my Mom."

Lavina stepped forwards, soothing her hand over Hayato's hair to calm him down before he tried to bite Takeshi's arm off. "I think your Mom would love a night with just the two of you even more. We can always have a big dinner some other time."

Nana pulled out his phone when it buzzed, letting the others handle convincing the embodiment of the sun to let them go.

**Ladybari: **You are a wonderful influence on my son. This is the best gift I have ever received.

Nana clicked on the attached image and grinned.

Kyoya, despite his best efforts, was actually a really good student in pretty much all areas. His passion for violence set aside he could easily graduate top of his class, and probably a few years early if he was so motivated. As such, it was not hard for him to pick up a hefty amount of gardening knowledge from his lessons and losses with Nana.

Nana still had a big bruise on his side from when he had awww'ed very loudly when Kyoya explained what his plan was (after Nana had gotten very suspicious about why he willingly chose plant life as their unit of study a few weeks ago).

The picture Natsuki had sent him was of a garden, set up around the porch, that had several newly planted flowers and tea leaves. Vines wrapped around the support beams and Nana knew Kyoya would be keeping an eye on them to make sure they grew in just the right way to create a beautiful overhang.

**Nana: **He loves you a lot :) And for a kid that treats emotions like the bubonic plague, that's pretty awesome. Did Kouske do anything? Or is he the oblivious type to these kinds of things?

**Ladybari: **He will be taking me on a trip in a few weeks. He is very romantic.

**Nana: **...Sure.

Putting his phone back in his pocket Nana tuned back in. Ryohei was gone, which was worrying, but everyone looked ready to go.

"Thank you so much," Kyoko said again, pulling first Takeshi into a hug and then Hayato. Takeshi hugged her back happily. Hayato flushed in embarrassment and awkwardly patted her on the back twice before pushing her away. Tsuna and Kyoko hugged and Nana ruffled her hair.

"Tell your Mom to stop by sometime this week if she can," Lavina hugged the small girl. "I've missed our chats."

"I will," Kyoko nodded.

Nana wondered if her cheeks hurt from smiling so big.

"We should really get going," Nana checked his watch. Miyu would be home any second now. "It's time for Lambo to go to bed."

"Lambo isn't tired!"

"Aw, that's a shame," Nana looked down. "I heard that little kids who go to bed on time get pancakes tomorrow morning."

"Pancakes?"

"Oh well," Nana shrugged. "I guess we can just-"

"Lambo is tired, Lambo is tired!" Lambo ran over and practically crawled up Nana legs until he was nestled comfortably in his arms.

"That settles it then," Lavina laughed. "Goodbye Kyoko-chan. Goodbye Ryohei-kun!"

"GOODBYE!"

That sounded like it was coming from the back of the small house. Nana wasn't sure he really wanted to know. Offering up his own goodbyes he ushered everyone out. Hopefully, Miyu cut herself some slack so she would be able to actually make use of the gifts she was getting. The lunches would help her keep her energy up but it might be hard for her to find enough time off to go to the Art Museum with Ryohei and Kyoko (Nana so wanted to see what that mixture would create). Her favorite artist was going to have an exhibit there soon and Natsuki had made sure to save some tickets in case she wanted to go.

"Bedtime, bedtime, it's Lambo's bedtime. Where does Lambo sleep? In the big bed by the door, because it's bedtime for Lambo and he gets pancakes!"

Nana snorted. "That was a lovely song Lambo."

He grinned, nuzzling into Nana's shoulder and singing softly to himself.

"Hayato," Lavina said the moment they got home. "Come help me put Lambo to bed."

Tsuna turned his head to hide his laughter. Hayato's usual expression of content when talking to Lavina was mixed with his disgust of screaming, snotty children.

Nana handed Lambo over to him. "It'll be easy. He's already asleep and I don't think anything is waking him at this point. Just change him into some pajamas and tuck him."

"...Alright," he groused following Lavina up the stairs.

Not two seconds after they had disappeared upstairs did the doorbell ring.

"Italian pizza delivery!"

"Who ordered pizza?" Nana wondered.

Tsuna shrugged. "At least now you don't have to make dinner."

"Silver linings Son. Well done."

Nana grabbed his wallet while Tsuna opened the door.

"Oh!" Tsuna blinked. "It's you!"

Nana pulled out a few bills, joining his son.

Holy shit, the pizza delivery girl was pretty. She looked like a fricken model!

"You know her Tsu-kun?"

"Yeah, she's the one who gave me that drink from earlier."

"Really?" Nana brightened, turning to her. "That was delicious! We didn't recognize the brand, do you mind if I ask where you got it from?"

"The… brand?" she tilted her head, eyebrows furrowed.

"Is it generic?" Nana wondered.

"Homemade."

"Wow," they both said. The woman looked perplexed.

"This pizza is… also homemade. And stronger. Delivered by Clam Pizza."

"Never heard of them," Nana shrugged. It must have been someplace Ryu and Shouto had discovered. Maybe it was new. He thought he already knew about all the pizza places in Namimori. "I'm sure it's delicious though if you made it. Do you make those drinks for work? If we order from Clam Pizza is it possible to order those as well?"

"That has a lot of garlic," Tsuna had leaned forward to take the pizza, nose twisting a bit at the strong smell.

"Shouto-kun probably ordered it. I saw him eat an entire onion from the garden one day."

"Ew."

"I know, right?"

"Enjoy," the woman shoved the box into Tsuna's hands.

"Oh, we're sorry," Nana scratched the back of his head. "You probably have other deliveries to make. Thank you very much, here's your tip."

Handing over the cash Nana bowed to her politely. She stared at them, slowly backing away from the door. Nana closed it with a click and motioned for Tsuna to head to the kitchen.

It was a little later than they would usually eat but it had been a busy day. Tsuna set the box on the counter while Nana called down the halls that they were stealing some of the pizza that was ordered.

"Ew," Tsuna's nose scrunched up when he opened the box. "Why is it purple?"

Nana looked over his shoulder. "Maybe they're trying out things to draw in customers? Remember those purple bread rolls in Hawaii?"

"Those were really good."

Nana nodded. "Let's at least give this a try then. If we don't like it I can whip something up really quick."

Shouto walked into the kitchen first, to no one's surprise. He frowned down at the two stuffing their faces with food.

"...Why is it purple?"

"Advertising thing."

"Ah."

He joined them.

Ryu came in next, just before Lavina. The two stared at the three idiots at the table.

"What is that awful smell? What are you _eating_?!" Ryu gagged.

"Nana," Lavina scolded. "Why on earth are you eating that? You too Tsuna-chan! You're going to make yourselves sick!"

Shouto held out one hand in a 'what about me' motion.

Lavina waved her hand in the air flippantly at him. "Oh you'll be fine, I saw you eat that leftover ghost pepper."

"How the fuck-" Nana grunted at him. God this pizza was delicious. They had to start order from that Clam place.

"Ghost peppers aren't that bad," Shouto shrugged. "This stuff is kind of gross though."

Nana and Tsuna looked offended. "This is delicious."

"It's clearly poisoned!" Ryu threw his hands out, gesticulating madly.

Lavina nodded next to him.

"Poison?" Hayato walked in. "Tsuna! Don't eat that!"

Tsuna looked from the small bit of crust left to Hayato. "...It's a little bit late for that Hayato."

"Interesting," Reborn flipped down from the ceiling. Nana and Tsuna looked up, bewildered. Where the hell had he been hanging from?

"How are you still alive?" a new, feminine voice demanded.

They all turned to look at the Pinkette that was crawling through the kitchen window.

"Bianchi-chan?" Lavina called.

Hayato gagged suddenly, falling towards the floor.

"Hayato!" Tsuna and Lavina lunged to catch him. Lavina was nearly crushed by his weight but Tsuna made it there quickly enough to help her lower him safely to the ground.

"Hello Lavina-san," Bianchi nodded towards her with a small smile. "Hayato." She turned back to Nana, Tsuna, and Shouto with a frown. "How did you know the antidote?"

"Uh," Nana looked at Shouto, moving to get some ice for Hayato after having already finished her pizza. "Antidote for what? Also, you really shouldn't crawl into people's homes like that. They might think you're trying to rob them or kill them or something."

Bianchi opened her mouth.

"She was once my fourth lover."

"What the _fuck?!_" Nana and Tsuna shouted.

"Language," Lavina shook her head with an exasperated sigh. "Even you, Tsuna-chan."

"You're a _baby!_" Tsuna's grip tightened on Hayato's shoulders.

"She's a grown-ass woman!" Nana tagged on.

"Who's a grown-ass woman?" Tsuyoshi wandered in.

"Tsuyoshi, what the fuck are you still doing here? Go home! Don't you have plans tonight?"

He laughed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Our plans are tomorrow! Tonight was Takeshi's thing so I left them to it. That's some weird looking pizza. Is it good?"

"Don't eat it!" Ryu practically threw himself in front of the man.

Tsuyoshi pouted. "Not enough for everyone huh? That's okay, I can grab something at home. I'll see you all tomorrow!"

Nana, Tsuna, and Lavina waved at him. Shouto grunted, grabbing another piece while Ryu was distracted.

"You just said that was gross tasting," Nana pointed out.

"Food is food," he shrugged.

"Stop," Ryu slapped the pizza from his hand. Shouto looked like he had just filed for divorce. "Get up, you're going to lay down. You're not running a fever, are you? How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Why aren't you fussing over them?" Shouto complained, begrudgingly following as he was tugged away.

"Nana-san strangled a six-foot muscle man with their thighs, I'm sure they'll be fine and Tsuna-kun is their son. Whatever they know I'm sure he knows, now _move_."

"I could strangle a six-foot muscle man with my thighs," Shouto grumbled under his breath.

"Stop whining you big baby. Does your stomach hurt? What about-"

"Bianchi-chan," Lavina waved her over. "Can you help us get Hayato into his bed? I'm afraid he's coming down with something. He was so excited today I didn't even notice, poor thing."

"Of course Lavina-san," Bianchi lifted him easily into her arms.

"You know her Lavina?" Nana set the freshly made ice pack into his friend's hands.

"She's Hayato's half-sister. I've told you about her before."

"Half-sister," Tsuna looked at her with wide eyes. "That explains why you're both so pretty!"

Bianchi stared at him.

"Oh, that's right!" Nana recalled. "You live in Namimori now? That's awesome! Now the whole family is coming together."

"The whole family…?" Bianchi looked down at her baby brother (writhing in her arms like he'd been struck with chickenpox), to the smiling but worried Lavina, before turning sparkling eyes to Reborn. "Yes, the whole family. I don't have a place to stay yet, do you have any rooms for rent?"

"Rent?" Nana scoffed. "Please, any family of Lavina's is family of mine. You can take any of the spare rooms for however long you like."

"Thank you," Bianchi reached out to shake his hand, easily holding Hayato with one arm. "I'm happy to see you like my cooking."

"It's to die for," Nana promised.

Bianchi looked thrilled, practically skipping away with Hayato hanging limply in her arms. Lavina gave Nana, Tsuna, and Reborn a quick kiss on the cheek goodnight before hurrying after them.

"Welp," Nana stretched his arms above his head. "That all seemed like a good sign that its time for bed."

Tsuna nodded, his energy levels dipping harshly. "I'm going to stay in Hayato's room tonight. Lavina-obasan needs her rest."

"Didn't the two of you want to know about Bianchi?" Reborn smirked, looking up at them from underneath his fedora.

"She is Hayato's half-sister," they both said robotically, eyes looking straight ahead. "That's the only thing we know. Anything weird or involving small, fedora-wearing babies is not real."

And with their piece said they headed straight for bed. Reborn kicked the rest of the pizza into the trash, pulling out a match and setting it on fire. He would need to figure out how high their poison tolerance was and if there were any they were strongly susceptible to.

Once he was sure all traces of poison were gone he looked at the note taped to the sink that was overflowing with dishes.

His job was growing more interesting by the day.

**-00-**

**crystalpuri: Lambo will probably come across as annoying at times, cause little kids can totally be super annoying, but I'll try to make him more realistic for a kid. Which is annoying paired with flippin adorable and sweet. Thanks for commenting friend!**

**Lil Hamari: Lambo needs hugs, feel free to give hugs! D'awww, you're so sweet! I can't wait to see you reaction to the element stuff when it pops up :D**

**Yuki Nagasawa: Thank you for reviewing! Agh, that illness is a pain T-T I hate when it hits. Hopefully not too often! Fingers crossed!**

**bloodshound: I totally get what you mean. I read a bunch of serious, emotional stuff and then I go to write this and I just... feel some serious whiplash XD. I also had a lot of problems with stuff in the original. It's a great story, it's why we all love it so much, but there were some serious problems (child neglect and the lack of any actual badass, knowledgable women besides Bianchi who just kind of sat on the sidelines most of the time). Let there be change!**

**Mel Writer: *blush* Too sweet! You're too sweet!**

**nakmura1miu: HERE! TAKE! ENJOY!**

**yenva-f7d: Welp. You're too nice to be real. The story is on ao3 too, under the same name! I'm glad it popped out at you! The Hibari family is awesome. I love them :D**

**Crystal Blue Butterfly: YOU are brilliant! You also have a cool name.**

**Entranced by you: *blocking eyes* Too bright. Too nice. :D Thank you! I'm glad you like it so much!**


	17. Truths (lies of omission)

**Bianchi is all about that fam**

**Lambo's cute**

**Kouske is a mysterious asshole**

**Tsuna is very much done **

**Snake is somehow cool now. When the fuck-?**

**Sasegawa Miyu is a beast.**

**Some truths get told, and it hurts**

**(Go ahead and google 'unisex fish sandals' when you get a moment. Trust me. They're beautiful.)**

**-00-**

**Truths (lies of omission)**

**-00-**

"Good morning," Bianchi twirled around, smiling like her heart was full of all the light in the world. She had a mixing bowl tucked into the crevice of her arm, a whisk in her other hand as the apron (Nana's dark purple one with a pocket that looked like a hungry crocodile) danced along with her movements.

Nana blinked at her slowly, brain still trying to process the early morning hours.

"Good morning," they said slowly, looking at the clock to double-check. They had gotten up for a glass of water, but they had definitely been planning on sleeping more. "Bianchi-san… it's two in the morning."

She hummed happily in response, returning to whatever she was making on the stove. It kind of looked like multicolored dough, but it was too liquidy to be any kind of bread. "I did not realize you wake up so early Nana-san. I had been hoping to show all of you my gratitude with home-cooked, love-filled meal but I'm afraid it's not ready yet."

"Aww," Nana smiled wearily at her, moving towards the cupboard. "That's really sweet of you Bianchi-san. I'm not actually ready for breakfast, I just got up to get a drink so don't even worry about it. And please, don't push yourself. It's _really _early, you don't have to worry about anyone being up until at least six or seven."

Bianchi threw some kind of purple powder into the bowl. Nana had to rub at their eyes to get the sleep crusties out. It had almost looked like a little skull had risen out in the puff of dust.

"That should be just enough time. I'm planning on making a feast for my love and my family."

Nana struck the word 'love' out of their mind like they'd slap a ping-pong ball across a table during national ping-pong championships. "A full-on feast, huh?" They scratched the back of their neck, pulling down a cup and moving to the sink. "You know, _you_ may not be related to Lavina by blood, but you're definitely as sweet as her."

Bianchi watched Nana from the corner of her eye, her stirring slowing to a stop. "...So you know then."

"Know what?" they looked back at her. Nana paused. "Ah shit. Crap. I wasn't supposed to… please don't tell Hayato."

Bianchi started stirring again, face blank. "That is a truth to be told by Lavina-san. I love Hayato with all of my heart, but that is business between them and them alone."

Nana flinched when the water overflowed and splashed onto their hand. Dumping out a large blob they set the cup on the counter and hesitantly approached.

Nana sighed and clasped their hands together over their stomach. "I… I do know. I've known since he was born. We met up while we were both pregnant, early on when she could still travel, but Tsuna was born first and it was only a month after that Hayato was born. Things… things happened with Tsuna and I couldn't travel for a long time so I didn't even realize what was going on until he was about five and-"

A delicate looking but surprisingly strong hand rested on Nana's shoulders. Bianchi looked down at them warmly. "You are holding guilt for a situation outside of your control. You do not need to explain yourself to me, your actions speak loudly enough. I know it was you who saved Lavina-san that day."

Nana didn't really need her to elaborate on when 'that day' was. They could still smell the ocean, wafting through the rolled down windows as they screamed for their friend to wake up. That was a memory that would never fade.

"The choice to keep this secret was made by my father and Lavina-san herself. That you have allowed her to keep the choice of when to speak the truth, even though you clearly disagree with it, shows that you care for her deeply."

Nana wondered who Bianchi took after the most. The father they had met only a handful of times but threw his whole heart at the love of his life with no hesitation or regret, or the mother they had yet to meet but knew to be caring towards her family enough to let her husband pursue his true love outside their arranged marriage.

...Nana wondered if Bianchi's mother had someone she loved that she had to let go of too.

"Lavina has had too many choices taken from her. Even if I think she should tell him I don't want to take anything more from her."

"I feel the same for Hayato," Bianchi squeezed Nana's shoulder in solidarity.

They stood there for a moment, in the weird 'let's have a super big heart to heart not even twenty-four hours after we officially met in the kitchen cause I can't control my brain to mouth functions' mood that had formed around them.

"Welp," Nana popped their lips together when they started feeling awkward in the silence. Bianchi pulled back with a small smile and started stirring again. "I should probably let you, uh, get back to cooking. And stuff."

"You still look tired Nana-san. You should go back to bed," Bianchi advised.

"Right," they nodded, grabbing their glass of water and fumbling with it for a second. "And, uh, just Nana is fine. We're practically family after all."

Bianchi blinked, smile blossoming to new heights. "...You may simply call me Bianchi as well, Nana."

"Sounds good," Nana gave a horribly uncool thumbs up. "I'll see you in the morning then. Or, later in the morning." Nana looked to the ceiling, grimacing at themselves. "I'll see you at breakfast."

Bianchi laughed, twisting her wrist in just the right way to make the spoon scrape the inside of the bowl. Nana seriously needed to go back to bed. That had almost sounded like a scream for help. "I'll see you at breakfast Nana."

Trudging up the stairs Nana lightly beat their free hand against their forehead. Why, _why _must they be a horrible social mess of awkward?

"_That was very smooth," _Snake added his two cents.

"Shut the fuck up. No one asked you."

"_There is a young child in this house now Nana, you really must watch your language."_

"It's _two in the morning_, he's in _bed_, and since when have you cared about the innocence of childr-"

"Maman?"

Nana froze at the top step.

"_Ah, if only you had listened to me. Shame."_

"Lambo," Nana smoothed over the nervousness in their voice with a heaping dose of 'concerned parent'. "What are you doing awake sweetheart?"

Tiny, chubby little fingers rubbed at crusted eyes as Lambo gripped the bottom of his sleep shirt. He was peering out of the doorway of his room, the nightlight next to his bed sending a few star patterns into the hallway. "Lambo had a weird dream."

"Yeah?" Nana kneeled down in front of him, reaching out to help him clear his vision. Lambo nuzzled into their hand, head going limp enough that Nana thought he might fall asleep right there with their hand as his pillow. "Was it a bad dream, or just odd?"

He blinked up at them blearily. Nana still felt captivated by the brilliant green color of his eyes. They didn't often meet people with green eyes, but even if they did Nana felt like Lambo's would be something special.

"Jus' weird."

"Okay," Nana brushed their finger across his cheek, lulling him further back to sleep. "Let's go back to bed, alright?"

He was already out.

Huffing out a soft laugh Nana gathered him up and tucked him back into his bed.

"_He is very attached to you already," _Snake noticed.

"Yeah," Nana whispered back, torn. "It definitely makes things easier, but he really does see me as his mom."

"_You say that like it is a bad thing."_

"It's… it's _not_," Nana sighed. "I don't mind, but for him to attach to me like that so quickly… he calls his father his boss, Snake."

"_You are concerned about the poor connections he had before that have allowed such a strong, immediate bond to form with no hesitation."_

Nana scowled, thinking back to what they had learned about the Bovino Famiglia. "...his birth mother is still alive. Healthy, whole, and living with her husband. But he calls me Maman. He hasn't even mentioned her."

Snake hummed. "_Perhaps it would be best if you focused on the life you can offer him now instead of the one he came from."_

Nana stepped into their room, sipping at their water as they sat on the edge of the bed. "It's going to affect him though. More than what we're seeing. He doesn't even realize that the home he came from was… whatever the fuck it was to him but the longer he stays here the more he'll notice the differences. He'll start to wonder about them."

"_Is that something you can change?"_

Nana made a grumpy face, already knowing where this was going. "No," they groused.

"_Then you already know it is pointless to let your thoughts linger too long. Simply be grateful that you came into his life while he was young and still able to make such an unconditional connection. If he was older I highly doubt his desire to be a part of a family would be so free of negativity."_

"Huh," Nana blinked. "That's… a really good point. When the hell did you know so much about kids?"

"_It is simply an unfortunate fate I have observed in many over the years. Bovino Lambo's circumstances are not as rare as one might wish them to be."_

Nana sighed heavily. "Yeah."

_"It is late. Go to sleep Nana."_

In the last life, if Nana had made the mistake of thinking about how shitty the world was, they would be up the entire night (sometimes even a few days after) paralyzed by thoughts and memories of how much life could suck. As they got older, 'before' Dad taught them things to do to distract their mind enough for it to fall asleep so it got easier. Now they didn't need music, books, or silly little videos.

"Tell me one of your boring-ass stories," Nana demanded, throwing themselves into their blanket and rolling up like a burrito.

Snake made a sound that made Nana think of an affronted noblewoman. _"My stories are not boring."_

"Of course, I'm sorry," Nana smirked into their pillow.

_"You do not sound regretful at all."_

"Aw, come on Snake," Nana snuggled in further. "How am I supposed to sleep without a bedtime story? You've spoiled me all these years, you have to take responsibility you know."

Snake scoffed. _"Every lesson I give you is fascinating. They are filled with knowledge and emotion. They are _riveting."

Nana didn't actually disagree with that. Snake could be a pretty badass storyteller, and he knew more than an encyclopedia. Not that Nana would ever tell him that. Or let him in on the fact it wasn't the _stories_ that lulled them to sleep.

"I really am sorry," Nana tried again. "Please, tell me one of your riveting stories."

Snake let out a long, drawn-out sigh. _"If only to keep you from mocking me further."_

"Victory," Nana cheered softly, wiggling out a small dance beneath the blankets before settling in.

_"You remind me strongly of a Koala. Their pure stubbornness makes it a marvel that they still exist. Compared to every other species that has gone extinct it is honestly surprising that koalas have lived this long with their absurdly picky eating habits. They will literally starve themselves if they can not find Eucalyptus leaves which, may I remind you, are poisonous to nearly every other animal. They live purely on poisonous leaves that grow in very particular parts of the world. How they have possibly-"_

Nana rolled their eyes. They were not a picky eater, thank you very much.

Curling up on their side Nana let Snake's words blur together until all they could hear was the soft rumbling of his voice. That night they dreamed of their family, hanging from trees and screaming about how all the food tasted weird and wrong. A long, coiled up snake watched them all from the floor. Judging them.

-00-

"Sooo," Nana sipped obnoxiously at their smoothie. "Natsuki said you're taking her on a trip soon."

Kouske reached out and pinched the straw shut, tapping away on his phone and keeping his eyes on the screen.

Nana was tempted to bite him.

"A trip?" Lavina tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "That sounds lovely! Is it for any special occasion?"

Kouske set his phone down to talk to her. "No."

"Lies," Nana struggled to pull his fingers apart, twisting around to get better leverage. How the hell was his grip so strong?!

Tsuyoshi laughed when they bumped into him, leaning his head to the side amiably as their elbow pressed into his head.

"Natsuki said it was for Mother's Day," Nana's voice was strained.

Aiko sighed, glad that she wasn't sitting next to her husband. She had figured they would start messing around and she would inevitably be shoved off the bench. Sitting next to Kouske always made her sit a bit straighter (he had the air of control and focus Tsuyoshi had when he was in the dojo, only that it never went away in Kouske's case) but it was always peaceful.

Lavina smiled at them happily from her wheelchair, pulled up to the end of the table.

"Mother's Day is for Kyoya."

"Come on buddy," Tsuyoshi patted Nana's shoulder when they collapsed back in defeat. "It's an extra special day to cherish your wife!"

"There is not a day that goes by that I do not cherish Natsuki," Kouske informed them solemnly.

They blinked at him.

"That's fucking adorable," Nana beamed. "Stop that. It's making me feel all warm and fuzzy, and those are not emotions I want tied to you."

"How romantic," Aiko sighed, resting her cheek on her hand.

"You're really cool," Tsuyoshi nodded.

Lavina reached out and patted Kouske's hand, smiling up at him. The corners of his eyes softened as he tipped his head towards her.

"Gross. Stop that," Nana kept grinning, licking their thumb and trying to wipe it on his hand.

"Stop _what," _he snapped his hand back, disgusted.

"Stop being nice and soft. It's weird," Nana tapped their fingers on their drink happily, keeping it clutched to their chest so he couldn't grab the straw again. "How did you and Natsuki meet?"

Kouske let out a very put upon sigh.

"Aw, come on. Those are always the best kind of stories," Tsuyoshi beamed at Aiko. He got a soft, warm smile in return. "Aiko and I met in the woods. She was like a creature of the forest, all grace and beauty, and-"

"We have all heard this story," Kouske interrupted with a roll of his eyes. "Often."

"It's a good story!" he defended.

Lavina patted his shoulder comfortingly. "It is. But if you tell it now then we won't get to hear Kouske-kun's."

"That's true," Nana slurped the last remains of their smoothy as loudly as they could, staring Kouske dead in the eye. "He's _trying_ to get you to talk. That way he can sneak out of here like an asshole."

"Not cool," Tsuyoshi pouted (putting _way _too much into it as always so Nana had to turn their head to laugh).

Kouske scoffed, looking away from them.

"You don't have to tell us if you really don't want to," Lavina offered, brow furrowed. Nana cheered her manipulative friend on.

Kouske looked back at her. Nana blinked at the glimmer of… amusement? Some kind of snarky emotion in his eyes.

"You're going to have to try better than that."

Lavina huffed, leaning back to pout.

"Um," Aiko tapped her chin, "sharing a story that has importance to you creates a deeper, more meaningful bond between you and your audience of choice?"

Both Kouske and Nana looked at her like she was crazy (which meant Kouske raising one eyebrow a millimeter higher than usual and Nana morphing their face like an anime character). Anyone who had been in the man's general presence for a single minute would know that was not something he would be interested in.

"You could always tell us because you're super mysterious all the time and we really want to know more about you," Tsuyoshi threw their wants right out in the open like that.

The muscles around Kouske's cheek twitched (the language of Hibari revolved around violence and extremely difficult to notice muscle spasms that lasted less than a millisecond).

Nana pursed their lips. Okay, so Tsuyoshi got some points for being completely straightforward with their motive, and Lavina a few for her attempts at emotional manipulation, but he wasn't faltering. Aiko's attempt probably just strengthened his resolve. They needed something more…

"If you tell us," they said slowly, twirling the straw between their fingers like they controlled the strings of fate themselves, "I'll stop sneaking peanut butter into your kitchen."

Kouske's eyes narrowed.

"And I will never wear my fish sandals around you again."

"She hit me with her car. I returned her knife." Kouske summarized shortly, tucking his phone away into his pocket and standing.

Smirking down at their dumbstruck faces he shrugged his jacket on and walked out.

"Whoa, whoa!" they all scrambled after him.

"You can't leave us on a cliff hanger like that!" Tsuyoshi complained, first in line as they all tried to barrel through the door. Lavina rolled up behind them, waiting patiently for them to figure out how to make it through like normal people.

"What do you mean she hit you with her car?!" Aiko sounded horrified.

Nana had bigger concerns than the health of an immortal. "Why did she have a _knife_?! How did she drop it when she hit you?! _What was she doing?!"_

By the time they all finally made it out of the Smoothie Shop just a few blocks away from the Sushi Shop (and gaining the attention of literally everyone) Kouske was already long gone.

"I have even more questions now," Aiko shook her head in despair.

Tsuyoshi scanned the street. "Where did he even go?".

"I believe today is Miyu's first self-defense training lesson," Lavina offered, tapping away at her phone.

"That's not for another hour," Nana squinted at her. "If you're texting him you _have _to tell us if he gives you more info."

She huffed primly but tellingly kept typing. They all huddled around her wheelchair, leaning over to see the screen.

**Kou: **Try harder.

They all groaned.

"What an asshole."

Nana at least got to feel a little validated when there were some murmurs of agreement. Finally, they were starting to see what Nana saw.

**-00-**

'_What an asshole,'_ Tsuna thought before flinching away from Reborn as though the baby could read his mind. Hell, he probably could.

Reborn turned to stare at him, fingers drifting up to pet Leon.

Oh yeah. He could totally read Tsuna's mind. But it wasn't his fault! Tsuna didn't actually curse that much (definitely not as much as Nana) and things had to be seriously bad for him to lose his filter, even in his head! If Reborn just let him walk to school like a _normal _person, instead of walking along every neighbor's fence on the way to school with the promise of death in his eyes (and occasionally sprays of bullets to make the morning 'more enjoyable'), then he would be fine. As it was, people kept coming out to greet them every morning, and while Tsuna didn't _dislike_ his neighbors, he didn't like being brought to their attention because of a three-year-old looking assassin! So yes, Reborn was definitely…

A handful of words he would not be repeating until he was sure Reborn wouldn't know that they came from him.

Reborn's hand dropped back at his side, like some kind of deal had been struck.

Why was this his life now? Nothing made sense, and that was starting to make sense. That wasn't okay. He _wanted_ sense. Normal sense. Floating through his days with no one the wiser kind of sense. Now people kept- kept _talking _to him. His neighbors, always with a wave and asking about his day (which wasn't _bad_ it just made him miss the mornings where he could _think_ before having to deal with all the stress of school and people). His classmates, asking him how he learned to do this or that weird thing he had suddenly, without explanation been able to do (because Reborn was a… a _jerk_ who made him do inhuman things so everyone suddenly had _questions_ and he always felt like he had to answer because it would be _rude _to ignore them). His teachers, who either congratulated him and encouraged him for improving his grades and working hard (that part actually felt pretty nice) or made fun of him for still having low grades and calling him out in front of the whole class (admittedly, only the new teacher did that, but that didn't make the pain of it any less). He couldn't even really stand up for himself because it wasn't like Nezu-sensei was _wrong_. Tsuna really was bad at pretty much everything. His scores weren't the worst, but that's only because the few people below him never tried. It was… it was really difficult to work so hard, every day, just to be where he was and then look around to see people at the same level that were only there because they couldn't care less. And he couldn't even take the easy route and blame _them _for not caring because he had no idea who they really were. Tsuna only really cared because Nana wanted the best for him, so what if them not caring meant they didn't have someone that cheered them on the same way? He couldn't blame them for that. Not when the problem was himself.

"Hello!"

Tsuna sighed. Lifting his hand he turned to greet whoever it was that had called out to him this time.

The girl bowed deeply in front of Reborn, balanced on the stone fence wall along the house.

Slowly, he lowered his hand.

"Ciaossu," Reborn greeted back, looking up at her curiously.

"M-my name is Miura… Haru," she flushed, twiddling her fingers.

Tsuna frowned. Was she sick? Or just naturally nervous? A girl that would just casually walk along a fence like it was normal didn't seem like someone that would be nervous.

"I know you," Reborn nodded, jutting his thumb at the house of the fence they were standing on. "You live there right?"

The girl lit up. "Yes! Um, will you…" she took a deep breath. "Will you be my friend?"

"Sure," Reborn shrugged. Tsuna squinted at him suspiciously.

"Ha hiiieeekk!" the girl cheered, _swooning_ to the side and falling headfirst off the wall.

Tsuna jerked forwards, arms out to catch her.

Tucking in she flipped forwards, landing on her feet solidly. "Whoo-hoo!" she cheered, throwing her arms up in the air.

"Oh," Tsuna tilted his head, blinking. "Um, good save?"

The girl, still lost in her own world, turned back to Reborn and pressed her hands together. "Um, this is, well, rather sudden," her eyes darted from Reborn, to the ground, and back. "Would you mind hugging me? L-like this?"

She mimicked giving herself a vice-like hug. She was still flushed all the way to her ears.

'_How am I supposed to feel about this?' _Tsuna wondered.

"Don't touch me so easily," Reborn warned, pulling a gun out of his vest.

"Reborn, what the heck?!" Tsuna cried. This girl was going to think they were crazy!

"Eh?" she looked up.

"Cause I'm a Hitman."

"Don't just tell people that," Tsuna groaned, eyeing the dark look starting to creep across the girl's face. "She's going to think I'm teaching you weird things!"

"Are you teaching him these things?" she demanded, all of her attention now fully on Tsuna.

"N-no, he's always like that!" he tried to explain, waving his hands in front of his face.

He flinched when she stalked towards him, hand raised.

Before her hand could reach his face a flash of silver smacked it out of the way. Tsuna scrambled to grab Kyoya's shoulders when he moved menacingly towards the girl. Where had he even come from?!

"Kyo-kun, don't! She just thought something was wrong with Reborn, she wasn't bullying me!"

Haru cradled her hand, angry tears in the corner of her eyes. She scowled at the two boys and Tsuna realized (with growing horror) that she had no idea who Kyoya was.

"You-!"

"We're going to be late!" Tsuna grabbed Kyoya's wrist, dragging him along behind him as he rushed around the girl and down the street.

"Babies are angels with pure white hearts!" she cried after them, shaking her fist in the air. "I will stop your evil corrupting ways!"

He prayed she had some sense of self-preservation. If she chased after them he wasn't sure he would be able to stop Kyoya.

Speaking of the taller teen, Tsuna was already surprised he was running along with him. The last time Tsuna had tried to grab his hand was when he was ten and the older boy had looked furious the rest of the day. Tsuna didn't want to make him uncomfortable so he never tried again.

Suddenly Kyoya stopped, sliding his hand easily out of Tsuna's grip. Tsuna stumbled to a halt, nearly falling over.

"I-I'm so sorry Kyo-kun, I know you don't like to be touched. Are you-?"

Kyoya rolled his eyes and pointed at the entrance to the school.

"Oh."

"The next time we meet I won't be so merciful."

And then he walked away, his jacket fluttering dramatically around his shoulders.

...Did he mean the next time he met Haru or the next time he met Tsuna?

He honestly wasn't sure which one would be worse.

At least Reborn wasn't there anymore. Leaving him behind with the girl (who totally thought he was evil now) was probably going to come back and bite him in the ass at some point but right now he would revel in the few seconds of peace he had before the morning bell rang.

Adjusting the straps of his bag Tsuna took a few deep breaths before walking in.

-00-

"Yo, Tsuna!" Takeshi waved him down, jogging up to join him as he headed up to the roof for lunch. Students weren't usually supposed to go up there at this time of day but Kyoya never really cared to stop them. He said it made it easier to find them when there wasn't a crowd.

Tsuna was pretty sure he meant it was easier to steal some of Dad's homemade food, but he wouldn't judge.

"Hey Takeshi," he smiled back, leaning in easily when an arm was thrown over his shoulders. Hayato scowled over his head from his other side.

"Baseball freak," he grunted. "Stop touching Tsuna randomly like that. It's bothersome!"

Tsuna actually thought it was kind of nice. He liked hugs, and this was really similar.

Takeshi laughed and just switched around so he could throw his arms over both of them. Hayato hissed, yelling at him for invading his personal space.

Tsuna smiled when he noticed he didn't move away despite his complaints.

"Hey, Tsuna," Takeshi looked down at him, completely ignoring the death glares being shot at him. "Let me join your family too, okay?"

"Uh," Tsuna frowned. "What? Takeshi, you're already like family?"

"Aw, thanks," he grinned, stepping back so they could go up the stairs without falling over. "I'll let the kid know you said yes."

Tsuna and Hayato froze. "...kid?"

"Yeah!" he skipped the last two steps and pulled the door open for them. "Your home tutor? He said you guys were playing a game and that I should play too, but I wanted to ask if it was okay first. Thanks for letting me join Tsuna, it sounds like a lot of fun!"

"No!" Tsuna cried, overshadowed by the louder, high-pitched scream of the boy next to him.

"Absolutely not!" Hayato roared, storming towards Takeshi. "I know what you're doing baseball freak, don't even try to hide it! There's no _way_ I'm giving up my spot as the right hand man! Especially not to you!"

"Aw, come on Hayato," Takeshi grinned, reaching out to usher Tsuna through the door so he could close it. "You can be the left-hand man."

"I _knew it!"_

"Haha!"

"I'm the right-hand man!"

"You can be the nose."

"You _son of a-!"_

"Wait, Hayato," Tsuna cut in, stepping between the two before they could start wrestling. "You _know_? And what do you mean 'right-hand man'?"

Hayato's face went from enraged to ecstatic in less than a second. "Of course I know! The moment I heard that _you_ were the one that was going to take over the Vongola Famiglia I knew what I had to do," his eyes shined brilliantly. "Don't worry about a thing Tsuna, I won't let _anyone _get in your way."

Tsuna didn't know whether to focus more on his scarily determined words or the sticks of _dynamite_ that had suddenly appeared in his hands.

"Why are you carrying candles around?" Takeshi leaned over Hayato's shoulder, amused.

"_Candles," _Hayato spat, shoving them into the taller boy's face. "These are-"

"Not supposed to be on school grounds!" Tsuna grabbed his arm, forcing him to lower it. "Or anywhere! Why do you have those?!"

"You can never be too careful," Hayato's tension melted away as he explained, tucking them back into his jacket. "You never know when you'll have to fight."

"Hayato," Tsuna clenched his fist around the fabric of the other boy's jacket. "Are you… part of the mafia?"

"Of course," Hayato nodded, looking confused. "I come from a very prominent Famiglia. I thought you knew that?"

Oh god. How was he supposed to know that?! When was this ever brought up?!

"So the game is from Italy?" Takeshi wondered, plopping down next to the railing and unwrapping his lunch. "That's cool."

"It's not a _game_ you idiot," Hayato scoffed, sitting down far less gracefully.

"Oh yeah," he laughed in return. "You hate 'games'. You call it training right?"

"No, it's actually training!"

"Sure, sure."

They kept bickering back and forth. It was such a familiar sight it made Tsuna want to scream.

Hayato was part of the mafia? He always _had _been. And he thought Tsuna knew. Did he ever tell Tsuna and he had just forgotten? Had he thought his friend was joking? Tsuna had just thought Hayato was from a really rich family. The studying, self-defense, and expectations following the other boy around since they were young just seemed like something he had to do because his family was so well known. He didn't realize they were well known because they were _criminals._

That was what the Mafia was, right? They were criminals who stole from and hurt people. They were like the bad people in stories and they were like Reborn. Scary and armed.

Hayato scooped half of his pudding (snuck in by Lavina no doubt) onto the lid of Tsuna's bento, smiling at him before going back to snapping at Takeshi.

...Hayato wasn't like that.

Hayato was kind, even when he tried to seem like he wasn't. He was smart, and strong, and one of the bravest people Tsuna knew. He cared about _Tsuna_, who was the least impressive human on the planet, and he came all the way to Namimori to help him the second he knew Tsuna was being dragged into his world. To help him.

Gokudera-san was always nice to him too. He snuck him cookies and little bread pastries every time they went to visit, and he looked at Aunt Lavina like she was his whole world. And they both adored Aunt Lavina, so how could they possibly be anything other than kind people?

Criminals were supposed to be bad. That's why they were criminals. But the people he knew, had grown up with all his life, were _good_. He knew that, without a doubt.

Tsuna needed to think about this. He needed to talk his Dad.

-00-

Nana sneezed.

"Bless you," Lavina called from the piano room, the melody flowing smoothly through the house.

"Thanks," Nana yelled back. Mostly everyone was out of the house by then, although he was pretty sure Ryu was ambling about somewhere. Probably near the piano room, he liked to hang around and listen whenever Lavina played.

Nana finished tying up his hair. Tapping the heel of his shoes on the ground to readjust the grip they had on his feet, he stepped outside. "I'll be back!"

Locking the door behind him he started to jog towards the mountain.

"_Today you will practice in the river."_

"You sure?" Nana tilted his head. "Last time we did that I accidentally electrocuted, like, every fish."

"_It fed you and your family for a full week."_

"Yeah, and that was nice, but I'd prefer not to destroy the ecosystem."

"_I am happy to hear that,"_ and for once he sounded genuinely honest. He was such an environmentalist, Nana swore. "_Your Flames are progessing at a much faster rate than they had before. Today, instead of focusing on them, you should make sure you keep all of your abilites at their peak condition."_

"So today is just like a catch-up day?"

"_Of a sort__."_

"Cool," Nana nodded, turning down one of the many side streets just past the boundaries of their neighborhood. "How's your penpal search going?"

His sigh almost sounded like a groan.

Nana grinned.

"_I told you I would try, and I am. Is that not satisfying enough?"_

"Nope," he made the 'p' pop, adding as much smarminess as he could. "You must push yourself beyond your limits if you ever wish to surpass them."

"_I don't know whether to be proud or disappointed that you are using my own words against me."_

"I vote proud."

"_Then I shall choose disappointed."_

Nana clicked his tongue.

"_I am kidding,"_ Snake said solemnly. "_The fact that you take everything I say and turn it into your own form of strength is a marvel to see, and I find myself feeling proud of you every single day."_

Nana stumbled, face flaring red. "Fucking- you can't just- Snake!"

A low, rumbling laugh filled his mind. "_I have also learned what 'bothers' you Nana. Words of praise, I have observed, tend to leave you dazed and confused."_

Nana spluttered, cursing at him even more. "You can't just- you can't just throw out some random bullshit just to trip me up! That's cheating!"

"_Not random, I was being truthful," _Snake disagreed, chuckling again when Nana clipped their shoulder on a pole when they turned down another street too fast. "_I am simply saving those truths for opportune moments. Like you do."_

"Don't learn from me," he croaked, running even faster so the wind would cool down his face. "I'm a horrible role model! I save up my spite, do that instead!"

"_My spite would only make you stronger."_

Well, fuck. He wasn't wrong about that.

"I wonder how Miyu is doing!" he shouted loudly, very subtly changing the subject. He could handle compliments (he _could)_ but it was one thing for someone like Lavina or the Yamamotos to throw out some nice validation and sweetness(the wiggly feeling of joy was still there, but manageable damnit) and a completely different situation when people like Snake (who _never _straight up complimented anyone ever) or the Hibaris dained to dish out the extremely rare nuggets of praise.

"_You know that doesn't-"_

"LOUDLY do I wonder how Miyu is doing!"

Snake sighed, but it was more amused sounding than his usual disparaging huffs. "_I am sure she is doing well. She was the one that approached Hibari Kouske after all. If she has the courage to do that, then I am sure she is strong enough to make it through her lesson."_

"Heck yeah, Miyu's a beast," Nana cheered. And Miyu was. A beast. She had a near chronic fear of men (that Nana felt very… deeply about) and yet she had managed to march right up to Kouske, look him in the eye (for like, one second, but it was still impressive as fuck) and ask him to teach her how to defend herself. Kouske. Of all people. She could have asked anyone! Hell, it would have made more sense if she asked Natsuki if she really wanted a Hibari as her teacher, but she wanted to fight her fear and learn to fight at the same time. So, of course, if she really wanted to go all in then she needed to approach the most masculine, physically inhumane creature she could find.

She was so freakin cool.

"_I do wonder if she has told her children what she is doing."_

"Uh," Nana tilted his head, thinking about it. "Probably not yet. Miyu's already nervous about this as it is, and as much as we all love em' Kyoko-chan and Ryohei-kun can be… intense."

Snake snorted. "_Sasegawa Ryohei would most likely try to join, which I believe would defeat the purpose of what she wants, and Sasegawa Kyoko… well, she is a rather unpredictable force. It is hard to tell what her reaction would be, but I doubt it would be negative."_

Nana nodded. "Yeah, but it seems like she really wants to do this for herself. She'll tell them when she's ready."

"_And will you, as well?"_

Nana frowned. "Tell Ryohei-kun and Kyoko-chan? No, why would I?"

"_I meant," _he sighed (the disparaging part was back), "_Young Tsunayoshi."_

"Oh," Nana slowed to a walk. He was past all the buildings now and he could just faintly hear the rush of water ahead. "I… Yeah. He's… probably old enough now, huh? And this is all for him. It would be a good idea to talk to him about it."

"_You seem more hesitant than usual."_

He scratched at the back of his neck, fingers briefly tangling with loose strands of his hair. "I'm… worried."

"_About which part?"_

"All of it?" Nana shrugged, rolling his shoulders tensely. "I need to tell him about Iemitsu, which is a whole can of worms on its own. I _want _to tell him about me, everything about how I got here and why, but that's just… so _much_. And it would put so many expectations on his shoulders. I mean, saving the world is a pretty huge deal. I don't want him to feel like everyone's problems are his to fix, and the kind of guilt that would come with that would crush him. I don't want that for him, but I'd be lying if I left any of it out. I'd have to tell him about the Mafia, and my plan. I know, I _know_ he doesn't want to be part of it. He is starting to see all the grey in the world but the Mafia _is_ a criminal organization. Admittedly, it's way more organized and seems more like a kind of society than it did in my last life, but it still has so much _bad_ in it. And I'm supposed to tell him that even if he doesn't want to do it I think the world is going to force him to anyway? That no matter how much any of us fights it, he's going to be dragged in there one way or another? That I'm going to just… just let it happen to him?"

"_You do not need to tell him everything."_

"I can't lie to him about stuff like this Snake," Nana massaged his face. "If it only affected _me_, then sure, I could omit some stuff here and there, but this is all about _him_. His life, and his choices, and how the world doesn't want his choices to matter."

"_Nana," _Snake said, both soft and stern. "_You are misunderstanding. Again."_

...Nana actually felt a little relieved. When, exactly, did he start wanting Snake to contradict him?

"_As a person with future knowledge, you are in a rare position. Where others see the future as a blank slate waiting to be written, you see the slate already filled. The choices already made. To you, that makes the choices seem less valuable. Less voluntary. If you know what choice they are going to make you feel as though you guiding them along that path means you are not actually allowing them to make that choice, but forcing them to."_

Nana stepped past the tree line, a colder breeze of air picking up off the water and over his body. It always seemed a few degrees cooler here. Kicking off his shoes he plopped down along the bank and stuck his feet straight in.

"It… kinda feels like that," he murmured, tracking the light reflecting off the surface.

"_That kind of knowledge is painful," _he agreed, a deep void buried in his words. "I_t will never get easier. And it shouldn't."_

"Isn't pain getting easier a good thing?" he drifted one of his feet back and forth. "The whole 'scars fade over time' thing."

"_Have all of your scars faded over time?"_

Nana pursed his lips. His back itched. "...No."

"_The pain of knowledge keeps you aware of your own actions. It stops you from getting complacent and losing the value of what you know. It stops you from becoming an abuser of that knowledge, and it keeps you from making mistakes you can never undo. If the pain fades, you lose what made you strong enough to handle that knowledge in the first place."_

Nana felt a little colder suddenly. It didn't sound like Snake was just talking about Nana anymore.

Snake paused for a long moment before clearing his throat. "_I am getting off topic. The point I was trying to make is that knowing of the choice before it is made does not, in any way, decrease the value of that choice. It is still one they made by themselves. You may help them reach it, support them towards that goal, but in the end, so long as you are vigilant of your own influence, the choice is still theirs to make. You are not forcing anyone along a road they do not wish to travel, Nana. You are simply making it a path less fraught with danger."_

Nana kicked his feet back and forth. He smiled.

"As impressive as it is that you're learning to be this wise guru through self-help books, you didn't actually answer my original problem."

A longer, more intense sigh.

Nana laughed, breathy and soft. "What do I tell Tsuna?"

"_Do you want my actual advice on that?"_

"Don't let it go to your head," he rolled his eyes, pulling one leg up and out so he could rest his chin on his knee.

Snake hummed mockingly. He was totally going to lord that over them. "_I think you should tell him about Sawada Iemtisu. The seal as well. Those are parts of his past that have shaped him, whether he remembers or not. You can tell him that you know about the mafia, explain the boarding school and your own ties if you wish, but I do not think you should tell him about your plans."_

"Why?"

"_Because he loves you," _Snake replied. "_And if he learns that you are doing all of this for him, then he _will _feel forced into this decision. He will feel guilty for the lengths you are going to, and he will try to force his heart and mind to accept that path so that your efforts are not wasted. That will no longer be a choice, but a surrender."_

Nana breathed out shakily. That… was exactly what would happen. He closed his eyes, seeing the little boy crying at his parent's bedside, scared to wake them, because he was afraid he would hurt them. Huddled in a chair, bruised and silent, because he didn't want the words of someone else to hurt Nana as much as they hurt him.

"Okay," he agreed quietly.

"_You should not tell him about his destiny to save the world, for similar reasons."_

"...Okay."

"_And you should tell him about your Flames, how long you have had them, and why."_

Nana's eyes blinked open, as watery as the river below him. "Isn't that the same thing as the Mafia? It was all for him, won't it do the same thing?"

"_No. You are taking over the Mafia so that a choice in his future will be safer. You unlocked your Flames because you love him more than anything else in this world and you wished to return choices that were stolen from him. That knowledge will never hurt him."_

"You," Nana sniffed, rubbing at his eyes harshly, "are getting freakishly good at this. Can you give me the names of those books you are reading? Cause damn, you're kind of awesome right now."

"_Thank you," _he sounded deeply touched. "_I am becoming rather impressive at this."_

"And so modest," Nana snorted. Shaking out his feet he stood up and stretched his arms. "Alright Mr. Impressive lets put a hold on any deep, emotionally fraught conversations for now. What's on the agenda today?"

"_Endurance training would be for the best. Perform your usual routines but attempt to expand upon them further with your Flames."_

"Like, if I run use my Flames to make me super speedy?"

"_Yes, but try to run for longer than you typically would in that case. See how far you can push the limits of your baseline abilities."_

"Kay," Nana twisted his spine this way and that, wiggling out his arms. "Hey, do you work out?"

"_I do not need to."_

Nana's face scrunched up. "The hell is that supposed to mean? I _know_ you have a body, you can't convince me otherwise. Do you just, laze around in your house all day? Cause that's totally bullshit if you keep making me discover new levels of pain all the time."

"_My form is stagnant," _Snake elaborated. "_Whether I work out or not, the results would never change."_

"Like you're frozen in time?" Nana tilted his head.

"_...Something like that. You should get started now, we have wasted enough time."_

"Hmm," Nana tucked all the information away. Snake being evasive meant he was done sharing, but if Nana looked back at this later he would probably learn more than the man wanted to give away. It was a long process, but it was giving Nana more and more pieces to the puzzle that was Snake. "I'll let this go for now then. Got a timer ready?"

"_Begin when you are ready."_

Nana took a deep breath in, facing upstream. A moment later he was gone, the air filling the space he had been in crackling with energy.

-00-

"Welcome home children," Nana called out loudly, drying off his hair as he padded down the hallway. Tendrils of steam stretched after him from the bathroom door.

"We're home," Tsuna and Hayato called back.

Nana blinked when his son came barreling up the stairs.

"Hey Tsu-kun," he leaned to the side to see behind him but it didn't look like Hayato had followed him up. "What's up? You look like you're in a rush."

"Dad," Tsuna looked determined for all of two seconds before he almost literally melted into a puddle of nerves.

"Oh, bud," Nana reached out to ruffle his hair. "Let's go to my room, okay?"

He nodded, shuffling down the hall after him.

Nana wondered what he had learned today that would make him look like that. Usually, that kind of reaction was reserved for when he learned something in school that had to do with morals, or moral ambiguity, and he was too confused to parse through his own thoughts correctly. It had happened a lot when his history class was going over different battles and wars.

"Take a seat," Nana nudged him towards the bed, closing the door behind them. Once they were both settled on the end of the bed comfortably Nana smiled at him. "What's going on?"

Tsuna fiddled with his fingers, looking more and more uncertain. "I… I'm not sure how to ask…"

"Okay," Nana nodded simply. "Let's start with something smaller to give your mind a chance to think. How was your day?"

"Pretty good," he shrugged, eyes trailing along the walls and the corners of the floor. "I got a seventy-eight on my math test."

"That's amazing!" Nana bounced, grabbing the sides of his face and kissing him soundly on the forehead. Ignoring the embarrassed groan he kept ruffling Tsuna's hair. "You've worked so hard, and look at you go! I'm so proud of you Tsuna, I think I might cry."

"Please don't cry," he smiled wobbly, flushing furiously under the praise. "It's not that big of a deal. It's only a C."

"A high C," Nana argued, mushing Tsuna's cheeks together and grinning at the small chuckle the teen couldn't quite contain. "That used to be a D or a very low C. You're taking your steps forward, don't downplay that! What did Reborn say? Have you shown him your test yet?"

Tsuna tried to duck his face down, even redder than before. "He said… I did a good job," he mumbled, lips twitching.

"Because you did!" Nana kissed his forehead again. "Wait until we tell Lavina. She really will cry."

"No," he tried to groan but he was chuckling.

"Oh yes," Nana played it up. Tsuna was getting to the age that big shows of affection from his parent were something to be dreaded (and Nana absolutely did not let that stop them) so whenever he showed even the slightest sign of enjoying the attention Nana went all in. "She'll have those super huge crocodile tears you could _drown _in and then that will make Hayato cry, he's totally a sympathetic crier when it comes to the right people, which will only get Lambo started and eventually-"

"Dad," Tsuna laughed, batting at his hands as he leaned away. "Come on, it's not that big of a deal."

"You're always a big deal to me," Nana ducked past his hands and snuck in another smooch on his cheek this time. "And you always will be."

Tsuna huffed, grinning. He looked like a big, teary-eyed tomato.

"What else happened today?" Nana sat back, keeping one arm wrapped around his son so that they were side-by-side.

"Um," he leaned into the contact, thinking. "We're learning about different genetic structures and how they helped form who we are."

"Oh, I remember that stuff," Nana nodded. He didn't think Namimori had that weird genetic make-up holographic design thing they'd had when he went to school but Namimori was a public school. And Nana's school had been really weird with what they thought was important to their studies. "Do you have to do that thing where they mix up two people's DNA and you have to figure out which two got mixed based on what was inherited?"

Tsuna looked horrified. "I really, really hope not. That sounds… hard."

Nana grimaced. "It was. It got easier, but it was still weird. Seeing the different combos of people was cool though. You should have seen the kid Lavina and I would have had. They looked like an ethereal little demon."

"Demon?" Tsuna blinked.

"They mostly looked like Lavina, like her coloring and stuff, but they were small like me and they had this petty little evil smile all the time. Probably from me. They had parts of my face too, so they were more rounded looking than Lavina. Like a little flower fairy who lived in a Venus flytrap."

"Oh…"

They both pictured it, one more vividly than the other thanks to experience.

"I… don't think we'll have to do that," Tsuna shook his head to get rid of the idea of an evil big brother. "We're really only looking at our own DNA structures. And our classmates."

Nana absentmindedly carded a hand through Tsuna's hair, detangling any knots he found. This was the perfect chance to segue into a conversation he really, _really _didn't want to have. "...do you need- no. Do you want information from both sides of you?"

Tsuna stiffened, peering up at him before looking away. Slowly, hesitantly, he shook his head.

Nana closed his eyes, resting his head on Tsuna's. "You sure? I don't… I don't want to hide that from you Tsu-Kun. You're old enough to understand what happened and make your own choices."

Spindly arms wrapped around Nana's waist, hugging him fiercely.

"I already have you. You're the best Mom _and_ Dad, I don't need anyone else."

Nana blinked rapidly, because those words meant _so much _but they had been said with an underlying tone of hate. And Tsuna was full of too much love and goodness to hate without knowing everything. He hated Iemitsu because of what he'd pieced together on his own. Maybe the truth would only make that hate worse, or maybe Tsuna, with all of his empathy and hope, could find a way to understand Iemitsu in the way Nana had always failed to.

"Before you decide that," Nana whispered, because any louder and his voice would give away the emotions trembling underneath, "I think we should have a talk."

"Dad?" Tsuna tried to pull back, worried at this sudden change of tone.

Nana held fast, keeping him tucked to his side and his head facing away enough that Nana felt like he could hide.

"Tsuna. How much do you know about your- about Iemitsu."

"Enough-" he blinked when Nana tapped the back of his head lightly.

"Tsuna," Nana said seriously. "I mean it. What do you know about him?"

Tsuna scowled, arms crossing over his chest. Nana could feel the tension building in his shoulders. He closed his eyes and waited for his son to find his words.

"I don't remember him at all," Tsuna murmured. "He was... blonde. I think. I know he was always busy with work and you said he loved us even though-" he bit his lip. "Even though he clearly loved his job more. He left you alone to raise me all by yourself and he made you _cry_. A lot. He's a bad person."

Nana swallowed thickly. "Just because he made me cry that doesn't make him a bad person Tsu-kun," he tried to explain. Because if this conversation was going to end with Tsuna thinking his biological father was a horrible man it wasn't going to be because of what he did, or _didn't_, do to Nana. It was going to be because of what he did to Tsuna. "People hurt each other all the time, but just because he wasn't what I needed him to be doesn't mean he didn't care. He just had other people he cared about too."

"He married _you_," Tsuna's fingers clenched into fists around the fabric of his sleeves. "You should have come first. We were his family. He should have picked us."

Nana couldn't swallow past the lump in their throat anymore. This was hurting so much more than he thought it would.

_"Breath Nana."_

He took a shaky breath. "Tsuna. Do you know what Iemitsu's job is?"

Tsuna shook his head.

Nana licked his lips, trying to think of the best way to tell him. "He... he works in Italy. He is the leader of a thing called the CEDEF. It stands for Consulenza Esterna Della Famiglia."

Tsuna's brow furrowed. His Italian was passable, but not quite fluent. "The... advisors of the family?"

"The external advisors of the family," Nana nodded, still making sure Tsuna couldn't look up at him. "They are a branch of the Vongola Famiglia."

Tsuna's shoulders snapped straight in attention. Nana closed his eyes, clenching his teeth so hard his jaw hurt.

"...What?" he whispered softly. A little bit broken.

"Iemitsu has been with the Vongola Famiglia since he was born," Nana forced his voice out, trying to sound calm as his son shifted away from him. "I... I didn't figure this part out until much later but not long after you were born he was placed as the leader of the CEDEF. That job has a lot of responsibility tied to it, and a lot of dangers too. I could never call or text him. I could only send him things through a very specific, secure mailing service. Eyes were on him at all times and if he came to visit us then we might have been in danger."

Nana always wondered how things might have been different if he had known all of that before things became unfixable. Would it have changed his reaction to what happened? Would Iemitsu have told him why he thought it was a good fucking idea to mess with Tsuna's flames?

Would Nana have agreed?

"One day, he came to visit us. Do you remember?" Nana glanced down at Tsuna but his face was still turned towards the wall. "He brought someone with him. His boss."

"...I remember," Tsuna whispered, arms trembling. "It was an old man. His eyes were sad."

What did it say, that Tsuna could remember the old man he met once for no more than thirty minutes but could only vaguely recall the color of his father's hair.

"That man," Nana worked his jaw, old, familiar anger starting to rise. "Did something to you."

Stumbling steps and twisted words. Falling behind and never being able to catch up. Knowing the world was _wrong_, it wasn't right anymore, but never knowing why or how to fix it.

"Every person has a spark in them," Nana brushed his thumb over the pads of his fingers, back and forth. "Something that grows with them and embodies everything that they are. It's a lot like a flame, and that's what some people call it."

Tsuna looked up now.

"Tsuna, you have a very special Flame. But that man buried it away," Nana clenched his fist, hard enough to leave little half-moons in his palm. "He sealed it somehow. I was gone for a minute. A _few seconds_. And when I wasn't with you he sealed away a part of your soul. Iemitsu didn't stop him. He just... stood by and let it happen. And after they left, after I told them to _never_ come back, I didn't know how to fix it. I didn't know how to give your Flame back to you, and you have suffered for it."

"Dad," a soft touch to his shoulder. "What are you-?"

"You told me once," Nana croaked, glaring down at his shaking fists. "That the world didn't feel right anymore. That everything was tilted, and twisted, and _wrong_. It's affected you in so many ways, and it's hurt you so many times. And I _tried_\- please believe me when I tell you I tried everything I possibly could, to help you. But I failed. I always, always failed, and you have had to grow up with only half of yourself and you are so unbelievably strong that you still managed to make it through every day as a better person than you were the day before. You never gave up, even when it was all you wanted to do, and I can't even tell you how that made me feel to see you fight like that. It made me stronger, and better, and I still never managed to help you in the way you needed it most."

He was crying now. Fat, ugly tears rolling down his face as he forced all the words out into the open. He turned, twisted his whole body to face Tsuna who was looking up at him (but only a little bit, he was getting so _big_) with tears in his own eyes and worry on his face.

"Tsunayoshi," Nana sobbed, bowing his head. "I am so, _so_ sorry."

"Dad," Tsuna touched his shoulder again, voice cracking. "Dad, _no-"_

"I left you in that room with them," Nana kept his head bowed, confessing everything that had happened. "I was supposed to protect you, and you were in the room right _next to me_. They took _so much_ from you in those few seconds and I didn't stop them. If I had just stayed with you, if I hadn't left you alone-"

"_Dad_," Tsuna cried. "You don't- why are you apologizing? You didn't-"

"I have Flames," Nana lifted his palms, let his Flames dance and spark around his fingers. Tsuna looked at them with wide eyes. "They are _strong_. I worked, for years, to get them as strong as they could possibly be. I needed them, to help you. To break whatever they did to you, but I couldn't. I _didn't_. My Flames weren't right. It didn't matter what I tried or how hard I worked, I was never able to give you back what they took from you. And then," he shook his head, ashamed, "the day Reborn walked in the seal started to break."

Tsuna was holding both of his shoulders now, fingers trembling. "Reborn? What?"

"I don't know how he did it," Nana wept. "I didn't care. I just cared that it happened. I _know_ Tsuna. I know that he's from the mafia, I know Iemitsu is part of the mafia, and I know they're trying to pull you into it but you're doing so much better thanks to Reborn I don't want to kick him out. You are opening up more and more to your friends, your reflexes are better, your appetite is growing, your grades are improving, and I can tell that you are finally, _finally_ settling into yourself in a way I feared you never would. In the short time he has been here he has managed to start building up everything I ever wanted for you, but you don't want this, and I'm so sorry."

Nana covered his face with his hands, wheezing and hiccuping. Fuck.

_Fuck._

This was _not_ how this conversation was supposed to go. They were supposed to ease into it. Nana was supposed to explain things slowly and clearly so that Tsuna knew everything he needed to. Nana was supposed to keep his own emotions in check so that they didn't influence Tsuna's choice, he wasn't supposed to fucking break down and throw everything out there like he was running out of breath to speak. The conversation had started _well_, why the fuck did he let it progress to this mess?

The fingers curled into Nana's shoulders pulled, tugging until Tsuna could bury his nose into Nana's shoulder. Nana had to tilt his head, face still covered, but he didn't fight the hug. He only let go of his face, hiding it away into his son's hair instead, as he hugged back just as fiercely.

He knew Tsuna was crying too. Could hear in the stumbling, shaky breaths. Feel it in the growing wetness of his shirt.

"I love you Dad," Tsuna said, equal parts broken and determined.

"I love you too," Nana sobbed, clutching him to his chest like he would lose him if he let go.

And they sat there, refusing to let the other fall apart, until the sun set and they had no tears left to cry.

**-00-**

**This hurt to write. (And this isn't even the most painful thing I've got planned)**

**bloodshound: I'm glad I could make you giggle! Tsuna celebrates both Mother's Day and Father's Day for Nana (even though Nana tells him he doesn't have to) so they roll pretty easily with both. Tsuna loves them a bunch so he celebrates any potential parent day. Thank you so much for your kind words!**

**Lil Hamari: Poison food is best food in the Sawada household. Believe it. When it starts getting into meeting more people from the mafia you'll get your wish at seeing how the school views Nana ;) It's gonna be a hoot to write. It's not wrong at all! Reborn makes for a totally badass Guardian, it would be hard for anyone to bypass him... I'm glad you like Lambo so much! I hated him when I was a kid cause he was whiny and made me feel like I was being forced to watch my younger siblings. Rewatching with my new appreciation and love of kids just makes me go 'awww'. Kouske and Nana is one of my favorite dynamics to write! :D Thank you for reviewing! I hope you like this one too!**

**ACasualPotato: XD That's a perfect mental image to have! I love it! It's always nice to hear from you lovely Potato-chan! Thanks for taking the time to pop in and make me smile!**

**Oro: I totally agree! Iemitsu's job is incredibly dangerous and for all he knew Nana was a civilian and of course his son was just a baby. He also loves the entire Famiglia with all his heart, so he would definitely feel torn. If I wrote more of what I headcannon Iemitsu's thought process to be then he would be a super sympathetic character. I tried to showcase that a bit through how much Nana just wanted them to talk instead of immediatly giving him the boot. If Nana had never seen them seal Tsuna's Flames (or if his Flames had never been sealed int he first place) it would have taken a long time for Nana to reach the point of divorce, if ever. Especially since Iemitsu does genuinely care for and love them. Nana knows that, it was just what they did to Tsuna that broke that line. I could totally ramble forever about Iemitsu and his thoughts and character. I adore character analysis, but I won't take up all your time! Just know I agree with you that he is a much more in depth, complicated character than the canon shows (or that I have shown up to this point, following Nana and Tsuna around kind of leaves other characters to the sidelines for now). Thanks for sharing your thoughts! You're awesome!**

**Mel Writer: D'awww, stop it. You're too sweet! Thank you!**

**HoloObssession: Holy Frijoles, so many nice things! The Hibari family is godly and death stays far, faaaar away. The tenth gen is, , a collective of little shits. Adorable, of course, but little shits nonetheless XD Nana is not ready for Baby Fon, let alone Adult Fon. That's gonna be fun ;p If they live in the Sawada household for a long period of time you bet you bottom dollar that they're all going to be building a poison immunity! Especially now that Bianchi is living there, it's gonna be done in half the time XD You're super flippin' awesome! Thank you for reading and letting me know your thoughts and reactions!**

**rarae aves: Ohhh, I almost forgot the global warming joke! That was one of my favorite things to write! I hope you like the rest of the story!**

**Entranced by you: You asked, and so shall it be delivered! Triple the amount of Snake!**

**Grey Grapevines: I absolutely adore your profile pic XD Thank you! You're so nice! I'm glad it makes you feel so strongly about it :D I have thought about using the teachers! I have a vague, flexible plot structure surrounding them right now, I'm waiting to see if anyone wants to put in an OC that matches well enough to be placed there. If not, I've got some OC files I've added to over the years to pull from to get what I need. I hope you like them when they show up! Thank you for taking the time out of your day to be super sweet and nice!**

**Megi Keishii: Gahh, you are too nice! Thank you for your kind words! I hope you continue to like it!**

**Penguin6663: ...maaaaybe ;p**

**mikanMD: Oh hoho, three reviews at once! You, my friend, are... too nice! Way too nice! And dang, you notice things I keep super subtle. That is one of the reasons Reborn went to go visit, and Tsuna's math did improve! For his reflexes I had a super subtle show of improvement (to show that having Nana keep on him as best they could was having an effect) when he caught the drink Bianchi threw to him in the last chapter. In Canon he fumbles it and drops it, which is how he learns it's poisoned after some birds die around it (jeebus Bianchi). Tiny things, not likely to be noticed, but you are on top of it!**

**Ever-Lethargic: I feel your username down to my soul T-T. I also feel your incredibly uplifting words of praise and rise to (hopefully) meet them! Making you laugh and feeling those good feels is a strong goal of mine! (Even if this chapter missed the 'good feels' part '-_-). Thank you for being so insanely sweet!**

**kagewolf25: This week was a rough one but your energized, kind words gave me the energy I needed to finish work today, so thank you friend! I appreciate you! And I hope you like this chapter too! **


	18. Heroes

**I had to keep taking breaks cause I kept crying. Good tears, but tears nonetheless. Also, I've been crazy sick for a few days so spelling errors might be abound but knowing this was done and not posting it was driving me insane so I couldn't rest properly. So here it is anyway! Let me know if you notice anything and I'll hop on fixing it!**

**Hayato frets**

**Takeshi prioritizes**

**Nana and Tsuna speak feelings**

**Miyu is so cool**

**-00-**

Heroes

**-00-**

"Hey, Hayato!" Takeshi waved as he ran up, clapping the Silverette on the back.

Hayato grunted.

Takeshi frowned. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" He looked around. "Where's Tsuna?"

"He's not coming today," Hayato scowled at the ground, brow furrowed like a canyon.

"Is he sick?"

"No."

Takeshi waited for his friend to explain, Hayato was always very verbal about his thoughts, but by the time they reached the school gate he realized the silence was there to stay.

"Hey," Takeshi grabbed his shoulder, concern growing when Hayato _let_ him turn him around. "What's going on?"

Hayato folded his arms, looking away.

"...I don't know. Nana-san took Tsuna out somewhere when I was leaving. They said they needed to talk about something."

Takeshi tightened his grip on the other boy's shoulder, just a bit. He'd noticed it was easier for Hayato to focus if there was a physical connection grounding him. "You seem too worried for that to be all."

Hayato breathed out sharply through his nose. "They were talking all night yesterday too. They both missed dinner and when I went to bed I… I couldn't hear anything they said but…" Hayato looked at him suddenly, eyes narrowed. He scanned Takeshi's face like he was looking for something important.

Takeshi stared steadily back.

"I-" Hayato looked angry. Like even the action of speaking was an insult directed towards himself. "It sounded like crying. Through the wall. And both of their eyes were red and swollen this morning. Tsuna didn't even say anything. He wouldn't even look at me."

The first bell rang.

Takeshi closed his mouth, rethinking what he was going to say. Instead, he looped his arm over Hayato's shoulder, casually leading them both to the front doors. They passed by Kyoya who was looking down at his phone with a weird glint in his eyes. Silver eyes narrowed in on them as they passed. For a brief moment they lingered on Hayato before the school prefect shoved his phone into his pocket and focused back on herding students through the gate.

...Kyoya never looked at his phone when he was at the school.

Takeshi waved and smiled at his teammates as they passed, keeping Hayato close to his side. Hayato didn't fight it.

Had Hayato ever seen Tsuna cry before? Takeshi didn't think so. All of their visits with him had been fun and the only tears had been in leaving but that was different. It hurt to see Tsuna cry, because Tsuna only ever cried when he couldn't take it anymore. His tears were a sign that he had been hurting for a while and no one had noticed. If this was the first time Hayato had heard (was it worse to hear instead of see, with no way of reaching out to help?) Tsuna crying it must be hitting him hard.

Takeshi felt his smile freeze in place, settling over the pensive frown underneath.

He'd never seen Nana cry. Nana was the one to help when _Tsuna_ cried. What could have made them both…

"Come over to my place after school," Takeshi said when they got to the classroom. "I've got a new game we can try."

Hayato looked angry for all of two seconds before his worry drowned it out.

Takeshi couldn't do anything for Tsuna right now. He was with Nana, and even if something was wrong with both of them he trusted that they would be there for each other. Right now he had a friend in arms reach that wore their heart on their sleeve and he could help them. So he would distract Hayato, keep his thoughts out of the pool of paranoia they frequented, and when Tsuna came back they would work together to help him too.

"Join Kyoko-chan and me for lunch in the courtyard today," he nudged Hayato towards his seat before he could reject the offer. "See you after class!"

He'd timed it perfectly so that the minute they separated the teacher was walking through the door to start class. Sitting at his desk he ripped out a piece of paper and tore it into small, balled up pieces. It would take a little maneuvering, but he could definitely hit Hayato's head from where he was if he aimed it right. With a wide smile, Takeshi kept a lookout for over-tense shoulders, clenched fists, and downturned heads. He had plenty of ammunition to keep Hayato out of his head and in class. It was Nezu's class too, so he didn't bother to worry about missing anything important.

No one listened to Nezu.

-00-

The Mountain, looming over Namimor like a stalwart guardian, had seen some shit. Having been around for centuries, that was a given. _Other_ mountains didn't have Hibaris though. Or Yamamotos, Sasegawas, and Sawadas. No, the things this particular mountain had seen were legendary. Good, bad, scary, unnatural, you name it, The Mountain had seen it.

So, it only felt right to have this conversation there.

"Just to the clearing Tsu-kun," Nana directed, hiking along behind his son. "The weather's nice today, it'll be a good place to talk."

Tsuna grunted, keeping his head down.

"Snake," Nana whispered as Tsuna trudged ahead.

"_Yes?"_

"I-" Nana huffed, crossing their arms as they walked. "I can't have a break down like that again. Not in front of Tsuna, and _especially_ not with this. He'll- I'll mess up the words if I do. I won't explain everything right. Will you…"

"_I shall do my best to help you stay focused," _he promised. "_...Thank you."_

Nana frowned. "For what?"

"_For trusting me."_

"W-well, it's not like I can trust myself with this," Nana grumbled, a bit pink. "I just threw everything at him and then sobbed like a baby until we both passed out. He's probably panicking."

"_Crying is a natural, healthy way of expressing emotion."_

"Do you cry?" Nana immediately turned the conversation away, not wanting to linger on his own sob fest and trying not to ramble to Tsuna while the teen processed everything.

"_I have the ability to."_

"But do you?"

"_...No. Not anymore."_

Nana frowned. They were getting close to the clearing, he could already see it through a break in the trees ahead.

"That's… I want to talk to you about this more."

"_I am always here Nana."_

"Yeah, you big creepo, I know," Nana said, even though the words soothed some of his nerves. It was nice, not being alone.

"Come over here," Nana guided, fast stepping to catch up to Tsuna.

This was the clearing where he first tried to climb The Mountain. It was where he made his first steps towards helping Tsuna, it only seemed appropriate that this is where he told him about it.

"This might take a while," Nana let him know, looking at him sadly as he sat down across from them. "We might need to take a break."

Tsuna shrugged, fingers twisting and twining the grass beneath them.

Nana closed his eyes, gathering his thoughts.

"When I was ten I went to boarding school," Nana started, because really that's where this whole mess started (outside of being reincarnated of course). "Dad was always… sad. He loved your Grandma with all of his heart, and when she died she took most of it with her. I look a lot like her, you do too, and when he looked at me he was always reminded that she wasn't there with him anymore. It hurt us both, to live like that. I think it was on my eighth birthday that he brought up boarding school."

Nana didn't mention the part where he had understood Toshi in a way no child really could. That if he hadn't had the mind of an adult he might have felt ignored and unloved. Perhaps mistakenly think he was hated and even guilty for the death of his mother. Honestly, back then he hadn't had very strong feelings for Toshi outside of empathy and concern for the man's work habits. Toshi was gone all of the time and Nana didn't need the paternal bond a child would. He'd had a Dad 'before' and he wasn't interested in a new one.

Still, he had been Toshi's only child, and the last connection to his wife the man had. Empathy and kindness were never wasted, so Nana did what he could. Surprisingly, it was being away from Toshi that made Nana grow to love him. Toshi had worked very hard to stay connected to Nana, when he could have very easily ignored them and moved on in his life. He showed genuine interest in Nana's life and passions, and without the stain of grief over their interactions, it was easier to connect. Slowly Nana saw the second Dad he had now, who he loved just as much as his first. So instead of moving out the moment he turned eighteen and pretending his blood family didn't exist for the rest of his life he stayed with Toshi and reveled in having a father again.

But Tsuna didn't need to know all that.

"_Come back Nana."_

Nana shook his head. "So… I went to boarding school. In Italy. Dad had gotten a brochure in the mail and we had both agreed that it would be for the best. He didn't want me leaving so young so we waited until I turned ten before I left." Nana tapped his fingers along his knee, trying to gauge Tsuna's reaction so far.

He was still braiding the grass together, shoulders to his ears and mouth set.

...Not great then.

"I, uh, didn't figure out for an embarrassing amount of time," Nana laughed, strained and awkward, "but the boarding school I went to was for daughters of Mafia Famiglias."

Tsuna looked up at him now, eyes wide and panicked.

"Your Grandfather isn't part of the mafia," Nana waved his hands a bit. "He's really not, I promise. There was a mixup with my papers and stuff and I got admitted to the school before anyone caught on."

Tsuna breathed out of his nose, relaxing a bit. He still looked confused though. "...They didn't send you back after they figured it out?"

Nana shook his head. "I don't know when they realized the mistake, but they kept me there after they did. I'm not completely sure why, but it apparently has something to do with being a 'stabalizing influence'," he used air quotes. "Which I can kind of see. People born and raised into the mafia aren't like most others. Even if they come from an extremely loving home they are still always surrounded by subterfuge and aggression from other Famiglias. Violence is a common concept, and it's just a part of who they are. The school focused on all of that and taught us how to defend ourselves, how to speak in different situations, and how to observe the people around us for threats."

Dear God, how had he never realized he was in a mafia school?

Tsuna's brow furrowed. "You never thought that was… weird?"

Nana grimaced. Called out by his own kid. Ouch. "I always thought it was weird, everyone was crazy all the time, but with _everyone_ being crazy, including the teachers, I kind of just thought it was the norm for Italy. I'd never been before, and I honestly didn't know much about their culture. If it had only been one or two girls then yeah, I would have had a lot more questions but in the end, _I _was the odd one out more often than not. So I kind of just… rolled with it."

Tsuna undid the little grass knots he had made, restarting the process. He looked thoughtful. "...I do that too, sometimes."

Nana didn't doubt it. His own family aside (Nana knew he was weird, okay?) Tsuna was friends with some very unique people. After awhile you would totally be desensitized to mass chaos events. Or, at the very least, grow used to them. Nana had yet to get rid of his own disbelief for a lot of shit, he was just used to letting his surprise go pretty much right after it appeared. For his own sanity's sake.

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree then," Nana smiled at him, holding in a shaky exhale of relief when Tsuna smiled back. "What I'm trying to say is, I've been around a lot of people in the mafia. And I didn't know the school was tailor-fitted for that, but I _did _know that a lot of the girls were from criminal families."

It was the kind of thing that just… popped up during meal times and sleepovers. Especially since the girls knew they were in an accepting place about all that, they didn't feel pressured to keep quiet about some of the things their families did.

Huh. It must have been half-way through his first year that they all realized he was a civilian. They all had seemed a little more reluctant to talk home suddenly until they realized that unless they were hurting innocent people or doing seriously bad shit then Nana didn't particularly care (which might have said some bad things about his moral system, but in his last life Nana hadn't been all that innocent either so who was he to judge?).

"They weren't bad people," Nana finally settled on the moral of his story. "They weren't always _good_ people, in the way that we usually think of, but they weren't bad. The mafia isn't completely like the stories you've heard Tsu-kun." At least, this world's wasn't. "They're like how you would think of a different country. With how much of Italy they control, they kind of _are_ their own country. They're different from us, culturally, and that is both good and bad. They have things that are better and things that are worse. Their laws, beliefs, and whole way of life is different than ours, but that doesn't make it bad. It just makes it different."

Tsuna looked torn. "But they break the laws."

"Yeah," Nana nodded, because oh hell yeah did they break laws all the time. "And I'm not going to tell you how to feel about that. They break laws, and they hurt people sometimes too. So does every country and government. Every society has laws where, if it's for the betterment of _their _people, then certain laws can be… flexible. Or just straight-up ignored. You've been learning about that in history, right?"

Tsuna nodded, eyes slightly squinted in the way that showed how hard he was thinking.

"Take your time to think about that," Nana advised him. "This isn't the kind of thing you can just decide on right away. And the more you learn, the more your opinion might change. Put this stuff on the back burner for now, okay? And then take all the time you need to figure out what you really feel about it all."

Nana wondered if Tsuna knew about his own friend connected to the mafia. How he felt, or would feel, when he learned about Hayato (and by extension Bianchi and Lavina). But that was their secret to tell, and Nana had too many of his own to focus on others for this conversation.

Tsuna worried at his lip. Nana gave him a few minutes to gather up his thoughts.

"Okay," he eventually agreed, shifting his crossed legs back and forth.

"Okay," Nana repeated, softer. Was he saying everything right? Was Tsuna understanding what he was trying to explain? "That's pretty much enough to give you a good idea of how I'm connected to the mafia. I do still talk to some of my friends from back then," like Lavina, but that was her part to tell, "but after Iemitsu and I got divorced I wasn't really involved with anything like that until Reborn got here."

Lavina was never strongly connected with her Famiglia anyway. She went to the school because her family demanded it, but she aimed to be a pianist above all else.

...Something about that thought bothered Nana. He couldn't quite put his finger on it but he boxed it up to think about later.

"Iemitsu," Nana sighed, thinking about how best to approach this. "I met Iemitsu a little bit after I graduated. He was… stupid."

Nana laughed, tugging absentmindedly on the tips of his hair. Tsuna was scowling fiercely at the ground now, running his hands through the grass but no longer pulling. Like he was afraid with one pinch he'd pull some of it right out.

"Tsuna, Iemitsu messed up a lot. He did, but he never forced me into anything. Back then, before he became the head of the CEDEF he was my partner. We supported each other and he treated me… he loved me."

"_Take a deep breath," _Snake told him when his breath hitched.

Tsuna hadn't noticed it yet, but only because he was still looking away. Nana breathed in deeply, quietly through his nose and let it trail out.

"He loved you too. No matter what happened after, or how he feels now, he _did_ love us both immensely then. Never doubt that."

Tsuna swallowed, looking frustrated and angry.

Nana didn't know if telling him Iemitsu loved him was something he needed to know or not, but he wasn't willing to risk Tsuna feeling like his birth father never cared about him. However he felt about Iemitsu in the end, however illogical, the idea that one of the people that was supposed to love you unconditionally _didn't_ was bound to hurt. Even if you didn't love them in return.

Still, it was best not to push it.

"I told you that Iemitsu and his boss did something to you. Did you understand what I meant?" Nana changed the topic.

Hopefully Tsuna would let him know if he needed a break to think. Just a bit more, and then he'd make him take one either way.

-00-

Tsuna's jaw worked. He had too many emotions and not enough outlets. Too many answers, and yet not enough at the same time. He peered up at Nana.

Just like always, he saw green. Dark, deep emerald at first, before streaking out into a light green Tsuna had never seen anywhere else until the day he saw Lambo's eyes. They coiled around his Dad, random but somehow measured. Except for the strands closest to him.

When Tsuna was younger he had seen a Plasma Ball being displayed in the window of a store. Electricity shot around it without rhyme or reason, but when one of the little girls nearby had touched it a few of the strands were drawn to her finger on the glass. Tsuna had been so excited that Nana hadn't understood him when he tried to tell them that they were a Plasma Ball.

It was comforting. Knowing that even if his Dad wasn't looking at him, his colors were reaching out to him all the same.

Every time someone passed by Nana, strands of green would connect to them, and sometimes they would stay for a long time. Like with Aunt Lavina, who walked around the house with a tinge of green that didn't belong to her usual rainbow glow. Or how whenever his friend's parents left they'd have small, sparking currents around them for a few hours. Even Lambo now, who had his own sharp, crazed branches of dark emerald would be blanketed by calmer currents until his own colors settled down.

Tsuna loved that about his Dad. How he traveled with the people he cared about like he was watching over them. Tsuna could recognize it in others now too, the way the people closest to them would get shards of color not their own. It made him happy to know that people were connected, and it made him feel even more selfishly pleased that his Dad's colors, only ever green for everyone else, changed when they reached for Tsuna. Everyone else got the arcing, lighting-esque currents surrounding them like a shield. Tsuna got the soft, glowing orange that enveloped him like a blanket. Tsuna rarely ever saw orange. It was a special color, which tied him to his Dad.

They were doing it now. Curling around him, settling over him like a hug. Tsuna could never see his own colors, he honestly doubted he had any to begin with, but he liked to pretend they looked like his Dad's. Sometimes, when he looked at Nana and saw green, then saw the orange reaching out to him he liked to pretend the orange was his. That he was like his Dad in a way no one else was.

"Tsuna?" Nana called to him, reaching out to lay a hand on his shoulder. Tsuna blinked, dazed. "Are you alright? Should we take a break?"

Tsuna blinked rapidly, looking away. He probably should have brought his sunglasses if they were going to have an important talk like this. He always did get too easily distracted.

"No," he shook his head, leaning into the touch. It was warm. "I'm okay. Sorry Dad."

Nana squeezed his shoulder, the worry not quite disappearing. "This is a lot to take in. If you need a moment then take it okay?"

"Mh," he nodded. "I will. Not yet though."

"If you're sure," Nana settled back, hand slowly falling back to his lap. A patch of orange stayed where his hand had been, fading after a few seconds from the short contact.

Tsuna tried to remember what question he was supposed to be answering. "...I kind of know what you were talking about?"

He wasn't entirely sure about the sealing thing, and he honestly knew next to nothing about the Flames, but he knew they existed at least. That he had them, but they only came out if Reborn shot him.

"I know people have Flames. Reborn told me that part."

"I figured," Nana sighed.

Tsuna's lips twitched into a semi-smile. It wasn't even funny, he honestly felt stressed even saying Reborn's name, but seeing his own exasperation with Reborn mirrored in his Dad made him want to smile anyway.

"You said they sealed my Flame away when I was little. Which kind of explains itself, but if everyone is supposed to have them then why don't they?"

"You mean why can't you see it in them all the time?" Nana clarified.

Tsuna nodded.

"Flames are like your soul. They are always there, but you can't really see them. If you train really hard, and you have the will to do so, then you can manifest them in a way people can actually see but that's hard to do."

Tsuna jumped when Nana's hands sparked, electric green webs suddenly covering his arms.

"These are my Flames," Nana twisted his arms back and forth so Tsuna could see. "I started trying to manifest them right after yours were sealed. I thought I could break it if I got strong enough, but my Flame type wasn't a good match for that."

"Oh," Tsuna breathed, leaning closer. He'd seen them briefly before, but he had been too busy focusing on the fact that his Dad was _crying_ to really notice anything about them. "They look like you."

Nana blinked. "Uh, what?"

He flushed, back-peddling. "N-not like, they look like _you_. You don't look like- like electricity or anything. I meant your colors."

Nana looked even more confused, Flames fading away. "My colors?"

Tsuna wilted a bit, his voice dropping as he tried to explain. "Like, the colors around you? Are you not able to see your own? I can't see mine either, is that normal?"

Nana was still staring at him like he was speaking another language, which was kind of ridiculous considering that they were fluent in more languages than Tsuna. Nana's eyes unfocused a bit, head tilting.

"Is that a thing?" he asked, frowning.

Tsuna started braiding the grass again, knowing the question wasn't for him.

"That doesn't seem like a thing. Why didn't you mention that earlier? This seems kind of important."

Tsuna wondered if he would ever be able to hear Snake.

"Tsu-kun," Nana looked at him again. He straightened. "How long have you been able to see these 'colors'?"

"Um," Tsuna scratched his cheek. "For as long as I can remember."

"How the-," Nana flailed his hands a bit. "How have I never known that?!"

"What?" Tsuna blinked. "You mean… can't you see the colors?"

Nana shook his head. "No, I've never seen anything like that. What do mine look like?"

"Green," Tsuna said immediately. "Yours moves like a bunch of lightning bolts. I've seen other people that are green but they were more solid. Yours branch out a lot. Lambo's do too, but not as much and they seem less… controlled?"

"Lambo-kun's colors are green?"

"Yeah."

"What about Takeshi-kun's? And Kyoya's?"

"Uh, Takeshi's are a really pretty blue and they look kind of like a waterfall. Kyo-kun's are purple and they change shape a lot. They're usually sharp looking but they can be soft too. Uh, if that makes sense."

Nana crossed his arms, eyes closing. "This sounds like something you should know about. Because you're _you_."

Tsuna hoped Snake had an answer. He'd always thought his Dad knew about the colors. When Tsuna saw someone that was extremely bright Dad would also react like their eyes hurt. Had he been reacting to something different?

"So," Nana cupped their chin, looking deeply serious, "what you're saying… is that my son is better than everyone else?"

Tsuna blushed as Nana grinned.

"That's how I'm choosing to take it," his eyes opened to stare at Tsuna. "Good news son. You're fucking awesome."

"Dad, what?" Tsuna tried to stamp down his embarrassment. He didn't even know why he was supposed to be 'awesome' yet, he shouldn't feel this flustered already.

"You can see people's souls," Nana beamed, eyes sparkling. "Or, the color of their souls. Their Flames and stuff. Snake says it's the aura that surrounds people. Their life energy, essentially. Most people who are attuned to them can only sense it in others, but you can actually _see_ it around them like a shroud. The actual color is supposed to show the type of Flame they have. You see green for me because I have Lightning Flames, and you can't see your own…" Nana trailed off for a moment. "Either because it's yours and you can't see your own, which sounds like total BS, or because it was sealed. Maybe now that you're starting to regain your Flames you'll start to see your own soon too."

"You think so?" Tsuna perked up. To be able to see his own… he might actually have a color of his own.

"It's worth checking out," Nana said. "But Tsuna, why didn't you ever tell me you could see colors like that?"

"I… I thought you already knew," Tsuna admitted. It was kind of odd, and a little bit startling to suddenly learn that something he thought was normally was, in fact, very abnormal. "I thought _everyone_ could see them."

It was one of the reasons he was always so surprised his friends liked him so much. Wanted to hang out with him _at all_. Surrounded by so many amazing combinations of colors and personality, who would ever want to be around the one person who had nothing?

"Just you buddy," Nana smiled softly, looking at him like he was something amazing. "I guess it makes sense, huh? You always did seem bedazzled by certain people."

"So did you," Tsuna frowned, tilting his head. "That's why I thought you knew. If you didn't see the colors, then why did you always react like they were all too bright to look at?"

"Uh." It was Nana's turn to blush. He wouldn't quite look Tsuna in the eye, scratching at the back of his head. "I was mainly just… surprised by how pretty they were."

Tsuna snorted.

"Come on Tsu-kun," Nana threw his hands out, begging. "You can't tell me you don't notice it. Everyone here is insanely pretty!"

Tsuna laughed louder.

"Tsu-kun!"

-00-

He was laughing.

Oh thank God, he was _laughing._

Nana kept his hands up, pout firmly in place. Beneath the surface he felt the rubber band of tension in his spine start to go slack. It was still there, but it wasn't stretched to the point of breaking. Now it was just a tug out of his comfort zone.

"_-fascinating, the applications for such a thing are-" _Snake continued rambling. It was rare for something to take him by surprise. That _Tsuna _had been the one to send Snake on his rambling spree of knowledge filled Nana with intense pride.

"Alright, alright," Nana reached out to ruffle Tsuna's spikes so they fell in his face. Tsuna batted at his hand's half-heartedly, still grinning. "Stop making fun of me Tsu-kun. You'll know these things one day!"

Tsuna snorted again. "Okay Dad."

"I'm pretty sure you're already noticing, honestly," Nana tapped his chin thoughtfully, teasing. "If I recall the last sports festiv-"

"Okay, I'm sorry!" Tsuna flailed his arms, blotchy red spreading from his neck to his ears. "I won't laugh anymore. I swear!"

"Good," Nana harumphed dramatically, cracking a second later. They grinned at each other for another second.

Nana really didn't want to bring the mood back down, but...

"I want you to keep training with Reborn."

"Dad," Tsuna despaired.

Nana looked pained. "I know. But he really is helping you Tsuna. I know his methods are… unorthodox, but they're _working_."

"I don't want to be a mafia boss," Tsuna repeated (again, and again), praying that someone would finally listen.

"I know," the corners of Nana's eyes tightened, lips pressing together. "And I would never want to force you into anything like that. Even so, I want you to keep training with Reborn. Get your Flames back to what they should be, learn what he has to teach, and then choose what you want. I will support you, no matter what."

"Wouldn't that be like tricking him?" Tsuna wondered. He really didn't think it was a good idea to try to pull one over on Reborn.

"No," Nana disagreed. "Reborn already knows you want no part of the mafia. I'm sure you've told him about a hundred times by now right?"

Tsuna nodded vigorously.

"Then he already knows. He'll train you regardless because that's his job. Don't worry about anything past that for now, that's something you can focus on later and I'll be here to help. For now, just focus on growing. Okay?"

-00-

Tsuna curled his hands over his stomach, thinking about it. He didn't like the crazy schemes and frankly horrifying exercises Reborn made him do. He would be perfectly content to never have to wake up to an explosion again. And Reborn still kind of scared him. He wasn't… he wasn't _mean_, like Tsuna had first thought, but he wasn't nice either. He said things that made Tsuna really think about himself in ways other people didn't, but it didn't always end up in Tsuna feeling good about himself.

Like when he called him out for running away.

...But.

Tsuna regretted running away. Every time. He could always shove the guilt away, lock it in a little box to only think about late at night when it forced it's way out again, because everyone else was always so nice to him. They _understood _why he would run, and they would talk to him. They would never force him and they never wanted to make him feel bad about it.

Reborn made him think about it. Pointed out the feelings of _shame,guilt,frustration_ before he had a chance to lock them away. Didn't try to _take _those feelings away, only made them clearer. And the more he felt bad the more tired he grew of _feeling_ bad. It made him hesitate in running when usually his mind would cloud over in a panic and force his feet to move before his brain did. Reborn wanted him to use his brain, all the time, even when it hurt.

And Tsuna was starting to. Was that what Dad meant, when he said Reborn was helping?

"I-" he peered up, where Nana was waiting patiently for him to work out his thoughts. "I don't _like _working as hard as he wants me to…"

"I get that," Nana nodded, peering over at the mountain. "Hard work is- well. It's hard. But it's worth it. I promise you Tsu-kun, it's worth it. Working towards being better, it makes you _feel _better. And that's all I want for you. For you to feel good, about yourself and who you are."

Tsuna felt the lines around his eyes tremble, fingers stretching and clenching as vulnerability surfaced. It was hard, to say something like this, but they had a promise. Dad had told him, when he was older they would talk about the things that bothered him, so long as Tsuna told him when he needed help.

Tsuna curled his pinkies together.

"...I don't feel good about myself," he whispered. "I-I…" he stumbled, trying to fit words to the strangling ghosts of self-deprecation and hatred. "I'm weak. And cowardly. I… I run away, all the time. I don't believe people when they say they like me, because _I _don't like me. I'm not… I'm not good like _you_."

It was the hardest truth to say, because it was the _most _true of them all.

"Dad, you're… you're _amazing_," he breathed, looking at his own clenched hands. "You work so hard, all the time. And you get tired, I can tell, but even when I _know_ you're more tired than I ever am you still… you still put me first. You put everyone first, and I don't…"

Why was it so hard, to put feelings into words? To say exactly how it felt to grow up with Nana as his parent. Watching them take on the world for him, for Lavina, for _Kyoya_ who never needed help from anybody but Dad gave it anyway because he _cared_. Coming home and finding more and more people there. People who needed help and found it, so easily, because his Dad's hand was always there. For anyone willing to take it.

"Dad," he swallowed, trying again. He felt too much, and he wanted to run, but he _didn't_. Because he was tired of running all the time, and Dad was the one person in his whole life he _knew_ he would never have to run from. "Dad, you're my hero. You're _everyone's_ hero and that's so… so _cool_. And I… I want to be like you so _badly_. But I'm just… just _me._ I don't even know where to start. But..."

He clenched his jaw, working up the dregs of courage deep, deep down. Clawed at them until they rose past his anxiety and fear and desire to just hide away until everything bad disappeared, because this was what Dad would do. He would look past his own fears and do what needed to be done. Always.

"But, if you think this will let me try… If Reborn can teach me how to be like you, even if only a bit, then I'll do it. I won't like it, and- and it'll suck. I'll complain a-all the time, and I might still run away sometimes because… because that's what I _do_, but if this lets me see my own colors- if I _have _my own color, then I want to try. I… I'm _going _to try."

Tsuna looked up, and that must have been what Nana was waiting for because suddenly he was in their arms.

"I'm so proud of you," Nana whispered, fierce and shaking with his face buried in Tsuna's hair. "You're so _strong_, and so bright. I know-" he choked off, pained. "I know you don't see what I do, but Gods Tsuna, you're my hero too. You make every day worth getting out of bed for, and you're the only thing that's kept me going for so long. Even if… even if you don't love yourself yet, know that I love you with everything I am."

"I know," Tsuna sobbed, clutching them back just as fiercely, his own face in the crook of their neck. "I know."

And he did. Even when that love made him feel guilty, because he wasn't worth as much as Nana believed he was, he knew it was there. Always. And he wanted to be worth it.

"I-I'll work hard," he promised, curling even further into the hug.

"I know you will," Nana kissed his head, one hundred percent belief in his voice.

-00-

**One hour later**

"Snake," Nana mumbled, voice crackling from overshed tears. "M' tired."

"_That is to be expected. You have had a very emotional two days."_

Nana blinked at sky. It wasn't even that late in the day. Probably not even the afternoon, they had gone out before the sun had even risen. "...Tsu-kun's probably home now."

"_It has been a sufficient amount of time. I still insist that you join him and rest."_

Nana shook his head, curling onto his side, and nuzzling into the grass. "He needs some time to himself, to think over everything. And I saw Reborn, that fucking sneak. I'm glad he's looking out for Tsuna and all, but that was embarrassing."

"_I highly doubt he thought either of you were embarrassing. And following Tsunayoshi to keep him safe _is _his job."_

"Mgh," Nana groaned, covering his face with his hands. "Stop using logic you-"

"Nana?"

Even though the voice was soft, more like a whisper than anything else, it still made Nana jump.

"I-I'm sorry, are you alright?"

Nana looked up at Miyu, who was leaning over him with a concerned little frown.

"Hey Miyu," he greeted, sitting up. Oh shit, what did his face look like? He could feel the gross crusties built up along his eyelids. Miyu stepped back to give him some space. "I'm fine, I was just resting. What are you doing all the way out here?"

Miyu smiled a little shakily, flexing her arms like her son did. She had far less confidence in the action but there was a spark in her eyes Nana was delighted to see (he was also super grateful she didn't comment on what he looked like).

"H-Hibari-san recommended that I start running every morning. So… I am."

"Good for you!" Nana cheered. Now that he thought about it, she was dressed for exercise. Her golden-brown hair was tucked up into a wispy looking bun and she was wearing a yellow t-shirt with yoga pants. "They kind of suck at first but you get some killer legs out of it. How did your self-defense lesson go?"

"I-it was good," Miyu bounced a little on her heels, voice still as soft as ever. "I learned a lot, and H-Hibari-san said we could continue later today if I wanted to."

"So soon?" Nana raised an eyebrow. "I thought you guys were gonna do a weekly thing."

Miyu blushed, curling in herself a bit and Nana immediately felt like punching himself. "We, um, we had to stop the lesson early yesterday. I… I panicked."

Nana looked at her worriedly. "You don't have to tell me what happened, but are you okay?"

She nodded, grabbing one arm and shifting on her feet. "Y-yes. Hibari-san was very kind, and… I think he knew I was nervous whenever he got too close. I tried not to be but…"

"It's hard to control that sort of thing," Nana nodded in understanding. "I'm sure he knows that too."

"Yes, he said so," Miyu agreed, looking down and to the side. "He said we could eventually work up to the moves where he would need to be closer to teach me but yesterday he was just showing me workouts I can do on my own to strengthen my muscles. I've seen Ryohei do some of them, but Hibari-san gave me a few that he said were tailored to my body type more than my son's. Everything was going fine, but when I went to get some water I t-tripped. Hibari-san made sure I didn't hurt myself but I-"

She seemed more and more frazzled.

"Miyu," Nana called, hoping to drag her out of her own mind. Grey eyes flicker down to him, trembling a bit. "It's okay. You said so yourself, remember? Kouske was really calm about it all and he even rescheduled for today. He wouldn't have done that if he was upset with you."

"I-," she struggled. "Yes. Yes, you're right. I'm trying to… to not let my thoughts be so negative all the time." she looked down again, speaking softer. "It's hard."

"You're so cool," Nana told her, completely serious.

"N-no," Miyu flapped her hands around her the same way Kyoko did when she was really excited or happy. "No, I'm not. I'm really not."

"You are!" Nana grabbed his ankles leaning forwards but not standing. He didn't want to startle her again. "You're one of the coolest people I've ever met!"

"H-Hibari-san and-"

"Kouske's a bitch," Nana said sagely.

"_Nana,"_ Miyu sounded scandalized.

"I only speak truths Miyu!" Nana held up his index finger, emphasizing his point. "Kouske is a bitch, and Natsuki is an immortal goddess. From hell, probably. Kyoya's some kind of new species. They're badass, but not cool like _you_."

She shuffled a bit, hands fluttering around the edges of her shirt like they didn't know what to do. "H-how… how is that different?"

Oh hell yeah. Miyu always diverted praise, and that question was kind of like a diversion, but it totally opened up the door for some serious up talk.

"I can't say for sure, because I don't know all that much about how they grew up besides Kyoya, but I'm pretty sure the Hibaris have never really had to deal with self-doubt, you know?"

Miyu nodded slowly, thinking about it. "It… does seem that way. They are very sure of themselves."

Nana totally agreed with the awe in her voice. "That makes them completely badass. They don't let _anything _get in their way, ever. They just punch straight through their problems and go along their merry way without even really thinking about it."

Miyu had stepped closer now, fingers folding together. Gosh, she was like a little pixie. Nana had to squint a bit to see her (because of the _sun_ of course!).

"But _you_, Miyu. You see those obstacles in your path and you can't just punch them. You're like the rest of us, looking at the huge-ass roadblocks and wondering 'how the heck am I supposed to deal with this'?!"

Miyu deflated a bit.

"Which is what makes _you_ cool. Cause you have huge roadblocks, and they're scary, and they seem impossible to move even an inch, but you're trying anyway. You looked at the people who punched their shit into submission and thought 'I want that' but instead of filing those wants away like most people do you went up to frickin _Hibari Kouse_ and asked him to teach you how to fight those problems." Nana beamed up at her. "You even said it was hard yourself, but you're still doing it! You're so _cool_!"

Miyu twittered, rocking a bit on her feet as she went from fiddling with her hair, to the hem of her shirt, to her water bottle strapped to her side. "I-it's really nothing as impressive as t-that. It's just-"

"Inspiring," Nana finished for her. "You're inspiring the people around you to keep trying too, and I can only imagine how badass your kids think you are."

Aaaaand, that did it. Puffs of steam were raising from Miyu's head, telling Nana all he needed to know. Whether Ryohei and Kyoko new what their mom was doing or not, they had clearly never held back on their words of praise.

"I-I," she warbled, eyes flitting around. "Thank you very much, have a wonderful day, I really must be going now, goodbye!"

Miyu bowed a perfect ninety degrees and then hightailed it in the opposite direction.

"Ah," Nana scratched the back of his head. "Too much?"

"_Perhaps," _Snake sounded amused. "_But your words will no doubt stick to her nonetheless."_

"I hope so," Nana rolled his shoulders, scrubbing at his eyes. "Damn. I'm feeling all energized now, even though my face feels like crap."

"_You are right next to The Mountain. It is a suitable place to work off your energy if you still wish to give Tsunayoshi his space."_

"Ugh," Nana groaned, more for keeping up tradition than any real complaint. He climbed the damn thing all the time now, didn't mean he had to like it. "Fine. But you need to tell me more about Tsuna's color seeing thing while I do."

"_I would have told you anyway. And why would you doing exercise mean I owe you?"_

"Because you started me on this path, so every time I have to climb this fucking rock it's on you!"

"_As always, your logic astounds me."_

"It should, I think great thoughts."

"_...That's one way to put it."_

Nana bickered back and forth with him as they started to climb.

It was kind of weird. He did this at least every other week, but for some reason, this time felt different. Better. Lighter. Like a huge weight he hadn't even known was there was suddenly gone.

Nana grinned, laughing out loud like a maniac and ignoring Snake's confused questions. Today was a good day.

**-00-**

**Resolution, met! (For now)**

**Hope you liked this one! Also, someone asked if I was still accepting OC's. I most certainly am! I'll totally let you all know if I'm reaching a cut off time, so for now have at it (if you want).**

**AkabaneKazama: Damn that invisible onion ninja. They're everywhere! Too many times! XD**

**ACasualPotato: Ohh man, the Varia arc. And poor little Lambo T-T Yeah, Nana is not down for that. I'm wibble wobbling between two different scenarios for that (it used to be ten, so we're getting places!) but Nana is totally gonna lay the smack on Leviathan at some point. Just you wait ;p I live for those emotional whiplashes! *evil cackle* Mukuro is going to be so confused all the time. It's gonna be awesome :D I hope you have a wonderful week too (this week, not the week you reviewed though I hope that was awesome as well). I identify as a lady, but gender-neutral is never bad! Thanks for being thoughtful!**

**bloodshound: That seriously means a lot. Thank you. Knowing you think so highly of this story is a morale booster like no other! You rock! ...Yeah, Kouske is a dick XD**

**TrilbyBard: It was bound to happen sooner or later XD. Glad to hear from you again! Michelle will be having some nice center focus coming up here in the next few chapters, I can't wait to show you!**

**Madrigal-in-training: Parents have the potential to rock some serious socks in the world. I totally agree. And awww, I'm glad that moment stuck out to you! I was trying to show the duality of thoughts Tsuna was having, it's awesome that you noticed!**

**Mel Writer: Urk! Right in my heart! To nice! To nice! **

**ChaosHearth: You reread the whole thing! Holey Moley, super kudos to you! (and my sappy writer tears, you can have those too). **

**TheManyFacesofAnon: That was one of my top ships when I got into KHR. They're both so sweet and nice to each other, I loved it. For Tsuna's age group I, just like with Nana, don't have any endgame relationships planned yet but unlike with Nana (yet) I'm totally hyping up the 'everybody has a crush on Tsuna cause it's Tsuna'. We shall see!**

**coulstonfynn: HERE YOU GOOOOOO 3**

**Bek: Oh man, I love the Fan and Hand Famiglias! They are set up from some pretty awesome dynamics! Do you have any singular peeps you want to be from there or shall I throw some in? Cause I'm letting you know now, you have matched a particular character's situation pretty close to spot on (*cough*Shouto*cough*). If you already got people in mind then that's cool too! Let me know! I love how enthusiastic you are! I also completely agree with you about the importance of communication. I keep trying to show the distinction between being open with the people you care about while still maintaining your own independence and right of choice. Like with Hanazawa telling Tsuna that Nana didn't need to know why he was upset, that was his business, but that he should have told Nana that there was something bothering him that he didn't want to talk about instead of lying to them. Or Nana accepting Snake's bullshit over Iemtisu's bullshit. I'm not sure how well I'm doing there, so it's a huge relief to hear your thoughts on it and know I'm getting that across well enough to be understood. Seriously, thank you!**

**katsekala: Wow, thank you! That's some seriously high praise to me. I know my summaries are kind of 'ehh' so to know it didn't quite snag you but the actual content made you legitimately interested is really nice. Thank you.**


	19. Extra: Date Night (Canon)

**This is an extra chapter, because by popular demand people have been requesting more shipping stuff between Nana, Natsuki, and Kouske. This has a bunch of stuff I was going to really briefly mention in chapters to come (because even though this is an extra chapter it is still totally an event that was going to happen just in past-time references) so now you get a more in-depth understanding of future reference stuff _and_ some cute moments between the Hibari couple and Nana. Still not fully settled on pairings but my god are you guys winning me over with this one. It's flippin cute. I'll have to write some stuff for the other requested pairings and see what's what.**

**This particular event takes place after Ryu and Shouto show up, but before Lambo does, in case you wondering about timeline placement.**

**P.S. Still totally sick and while that's letting me write a whole lot, it's also not filling me with confidence on spelling and grammar. Let me know if you spot anything! It's like "Where's Waldo" but Waldo is a hideous monstrosity I have to slap out of this story.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

**-00-**

Extra: Date Night

**-00-**

"I'm heading out!" Nana called.

"Bye Mom," Tsuna peered down the stairs to wave.

"Bye Nana! Make safe choices!"

Nana rolled her eyes. "Stop trying to confuse my son Lavina!"

Tsuna looked down the hall towards Lavina's room before turning back to her. "Aren't you having dinner with Kyo-kun's parents?"

"Yup," Nana nodded, totally not nervous in any way. "They wanted to talk about Kyoya's progress and stuff."

'Stuff' being mafia related.

"Good luck," Tsuna said solemnly.

"Thank you son," Nana nodded back, shoulders squared. "I don't know when I'll be back so don't wait up okay? There's food in the fridge you just have to heat it up. Try to eat before Shouto-kun gets back with Ryu-kun, I don't trust him to leave any leftovers." Nana glanced behind him, towards the hallway, and lowered her voice. "Make sure Lavina takes her medicine okay? I'll do the nightly check when I get back so keep an eye on her until you go to bed."

Tsuna nodded, wrinkles of worry appearing around his eyes and mouth.

Lavina's medicine had been working great up until Hayato's welcoming party. Now it was starting to make her nauseous and Nana was afraid she was starting to lose sense of time. She had really hoped this was the one that stuck, but it was looking like they would have to switch out again. They'd go in tomorrow to see.

Closing the door behind her Nana turned to start walking. She froze at the fancy car in front of the house.

"Good evening Sawada-sama," the elderly man standing by the back doors of the car bowed respectfully. He was the Hibari family's main driver and Nana had seen him around often enough.

"Gen-san," Nana bowed back. "It's good to see you again! You really didn't need to pick me up, I don't mind walking."

Hido Gen smiled, every wrinkle forming the perfect expression of a warm-hearted grandfather. "It is no trouble Sawada-sama, I am always happy to be of service. The restaurant itself is rather far away, I would hate to make you walk so far when it's already starting to get late."

Nana blinked. "...Restaurant? Uh, is dinner not going to be at their house?"

"No," his eyes twinkled with amusement.

Nana looked down at herself. She was wearing grey capris with paint splotches on them (those things never came out, but Nana thought the look was cute so she didn't care) and a black tank top with a penguin face on the front. Her grey tennis shoes also looked pretty beat up. Some of the little heart sequins were falling off…

"Am I… dressed right for this restaurant?" she wondered. If this was a place picked out by a Hibari it was probably a crazy high-class place, right? Did she even own anything that would match a place like that?

_"You are rarely dressed well for any outing, so I would assume the answer to be no."_

If Nana wasn't in the presence of the nicest old man she had ever met she would flip Snake off and go put on her rainbow, fur-covered boots Tsuna had gotten her for her birthday (Nana had been _delighted_, much to the horror of those around her).

"Ojou-sama and Hibari-dono wished to let you know that your own attire would not be a problem."

Nana was immediately on guard. Natsuki never seemed to really care what she wore, outside of quick shows of amusement, but Kouske would never let Nana anywhere near him looking like she did now. It was why she chose this outfit in particular for tonight. To bother him.

Gen didn't let her think on it much. He already had the door open and was waiting for her patiently.

Ugh. That was probably why they sent him. She couldn't argue with Gen.

Sliding into the back she fiddled with her fingers as the car pulled away from the curb. Gen put on some music which was nice.

"This is Lavina's music," Nana recognized it immediately.

Gen nodded, skillfully pulling into traffic and heading towards the singular highway that ran near Namimori.

How far was this restaurant?

"Her abilities are a wondrous gift," Gen turned up the volume a bit. "This particular CD is from her charity concert when she was only seventeen."

Nana leaned forwards, grinning. "I remember that one, it was hosted by the school! It took us _weeks_ to convince the teachers to let us organize everything. They were worried the others would blow something up so we had to have really strict guidelines for everyone to follow. Beatrice was pissed cause she wanted to add this mist and snow effect to one of Lavina's songs but the principal said no because when she tried to demonstrate everyone in Dorm C got snowed in. Sofia eventually just made a bunch of papercraft snow things, which looked _awesome_, and Beatrice snuck in a bunch of dry ice halfway through as a replacement. Caterina covered for us for once, so everything went great!"

Gen chuckled, the low rumble of his laugh warm. "So that is the story behind the effects. My wife and daughter were enthralled by the event, it is one of our fondest memories."

"You were there?" Nana wondered.

"Yes, my family and I. Hibari-dono graciously allowed my wife to travel with us to Italy and my daughter was already living in the area so she came to meet us. We all made sure to donate a fair amount to the charity, it was truly wonderful."

Nana had a sudden, frightening realization. She had been in the back for the entire party, making sure all the setup was ready and the food prep was getting done right. She hadn't had time to go out and actually meet the guests, but she remembered the girls freaking the fuck out over how attractive some of them were. Some of the girls had fainted, which Nana had teased them for relentlessly, but if it had been Kouske or Natsuki that they had seen…

Well damn, Nana fainted too when she met them. She sent her friends a mental apology for thinking they were being dramatic.

"I don't know if you kept up with the school those donations were for," Nana shook the thoughts away quickly, "but the renovations were awesome. Lavina still gets thank you letters from them sometimes. It's super cute."

Gen glanced at her from the rearview mirror. "Do you and your friends receive these letters as well?"

"Yeah, sometimes," Nana shrugged. "We get them from the school staff, who could actually comprehend how an event like that is made you know? Lavina gets all the kid drawings and stuff cause she was our poster lady. And she deserved it! She went all in, it was thanks to her we were able to have it in the first place _and_ that it was so successful. Her music is like magic."

"It truly is," Gen looked a little whimsical there, turning off on the next exit. "We are almost there."

"Cool," Nana leaned back, the nerves returning with a vengeance. Gen didn't say anything, sending her a knowing look and turning up the volume once again.

The song playing was the one Lavina had made the week before finals during their fifth year. It was peaceful and reminded Nana of a spring day in the woods. Lavina had said it was supposed to draw calmness and success towards them, so she played the song every day until they got their grades back.

They both passed with flying colors.

The car stopped and Nana immediately started sweating. Oh God. She couldn't even see the whole building, because it was built like a _fucking castle._ There were lanterns, and artistically designed topiaries, and mini gardens within big gardens, and people in tuxes, and dresses, with makeup and hair that could put anyone to shame.

The door opened.

...On the opposite side of the castle looking place.

"Right this way Sawada-sama," Gen held out his hand to help her out. Nana took it, looking over the top of the car with wide eyes. They were on the other side of the street. "They are waiting for you right through here."

Nana turned to look at him. Gen was holding the door to an equally pretty, but much smaller building. It had ceiling to floor windows along the whole front, clothes draped elegantly over mannequins posed in them.

Nana stepped in hesitantly.

"Hello Nana."

Nana jumped, hopping away from Natsuki when she materialized at her shoulder.

"N-Natsuki, you've got to stop sneaking up on me like that! I'll have a heart attack one day."

"One can hope."

Nana flailed again, this time away from Kouske who was somehow behind her. He nudged her forwards, towards the desk at the other end of the room filled with model-worthy clothes. His nose was crinkled with disgust, looking down at her penguin tank top and capris.

"I thought we were having dinner!" Nana complained, still too stunned to really be fighting the guidance. Damn them for being so beautiful. Kouske's suit was doing all kinds of things to his shoulders and with his hair combed completely out of his face Nana could see every line of his asshole face. The dark blue dress Natsuki was wearing not only made her look like a god damn queen but it was a lighter blue at the bottom with little bits of silver modestly spread to create the actual beauty of the night sky in physical form.

"We will," Natsuki assured her, looping one of her arms through Nana's and making Nana feel like she should probably just faint right now to save herself the trouble. It didn't help that Kouske still had a hand pressed against her back, making sure she was moving forward instead of gawking around. "But first, we have a friend we want you to meet."

With two long strides, Kouske was ahead of them enough to hold the door to the back room open. Natsuki whisked her inside before she could ask _why_ they were going into the clearly off-limits room of what had to be the priciest clothing store she had ever seen.

"Fabio," Kouske called, sounding weirdly irritated.

The man (the _tall ass_ man, holy fuck) in the middle of what looked like a wide studio for fabrics of all kinds turned to level Kouske with a look of such exhausted disdain that Nana immediately loved him. He was walking around a short mannequin with a dress that made Nana unsure of what to focus on. The incredibly gorgeous guy messing with it or the actual dress that looked like it had come out of a fricken fairy tale. It was sleeveless, two thin strips of fabric looping from the top of the dress around the neck of the mannequin to hold it up. The top half was a dark orange, slightly cut off from the bottom due to the way the fabric curled to make a type of belt like an infinity dress (and damn Kouske for making her know what that was). The bottom part of the dress was layered with soft-looking, silken fabric. The dark orange faded lighter and lighter until the bottom where it was almost yellow. Like a sunset. There were trails of red and yellow along one side that reminded Nana of fallen leaves. It came up to just above the knees, flowing and looking fancy as heck but still comfortable.

"What, Kouske," Fabio sounded done with the conversation already.

Anyone who could put that look on Kouske's face deserved the world.

"It was _Fading Emerald_."

Golden eyes did the perfect eye roll. Fabio tossed his long, silky black braid over his shoulder, tweaking the neckline of the dress. "_You _said Fading Emerald because you are blind. I did not even have to meet your little fairy and I already knew the sunset orange would look better. And now that I see them, I know I was correct."

Having the lazily narrowed yellow eyes on her made Nana even more aware of how fucking _beautiful_ this world was and how miraculous her life was to have been able to sneak into it.

_"You're staring,"_ Snake informed her helpfully.

Damn right she was. This guy was _gorgeous_. Like, Hibari level pretty. He was wearing simple black slacks and an open buttoned suit jacket over a white turtle neck that fit him like a glove. There were three silver hoops on his left ear which contrasted with the dark black of the slim glasses on the bridge of his nose. When he stepped towards them Nana zeroed in on the tiny, barely noticeable but definitely fucking _there_ beauty mark under his left eye.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," he slipped off his glasses, hiding them away in the inside pocket of his jacket. Stepping closer (he had legs _for days_) he held out a hand. "My name is Fabio. I have heard quite a bit about you."

"Uh," Nana said, like the cultured human being she was. Natsuki patted her arm, making her jolt out of it. "I'mNana. Sawada. Sawada Nana. Just Nana."

Fabio looked amused (which was a small, mischevious expression that Nana _did not _need to see, thank you!). When Nana tried to shake his hand, jerking at it in a robotic way that made her want to die, he turned it over so he could sweep down and place a kiss on the back of her knuckles.

Nana wasn't sure what sound she made because of all the blood in her ears, but judging by the soft huff of laughter from not only Natsuki, but _Kouske_ too it must have been horribly embarrassing.

Fabio stepped back, hopefully just because he was done with his greeting and not because of the clearly obvious signs that Nana's brain had melted straight out of her head.

"As much as I would love to hear some of your stories," Fabio stepped to the side, motioning for them to approach the dress, "I believe your reservation is soon. I do hope you don't mind the dress. This was originally going to be one of my own, but after hearing Kouske and Natsuki's request I knew what this dress was _made_ for. I also have a suit in the works with similar colors in mind but we thought it would be best if you wore something that showed off your strength."

Nana must have dazed out because one second she was by the door with Natsuki's arm wrapped around hers and Kouske's hand on her back (and damn it, she should really stop focusing on that) and the next she had her arms full of fabric and the door to the dressing room was closed behind her.

"Come out when you are ready and we will see to everything else," Fabio called.

_Everything else?!_

"Snake," she whisper shrieked, looking down at the dress like it would bite her (it was so _silky_).

_"...I am afraid I can offer no advice."_

"You always have advice! Help me," she begged.

_"The zipper is on the back. Be prepared, if you are unable to get it yourself one of them will have to help you."_

Nana was surprised the fire alarm hadn't gone off from the amount of steam coming off her face.

_"If you really wanted to, I am sure you could leave. I doubt Hibari Natsuki would hold it against you, and you have never cared what Hibari Kouske thought."_

"I _don't_ care what he thinks," Nana lied very convincingly. "But I don't even know what this _is_!"

_"Then perhaps you can go along with it for now, and make your decision after you have asked for their intentions."_

Nana squeezed her eyes closed, like that would stop what was happening. "Don't phrase it like that. I'm already nervous."

_"Like what?"_

"Nothing. Shut up. I'm trying it on."

The dress slipped on easily. Like a glove.

Her mind flashed back to the week Kouske was sick. How halfway through he had methodically circled around her with a roll of measuring tape (which was a memory she refused to focus on because before then she hadn't quite thought through how getting measurements required people to stand fairly _close_ to eachother) and then rolled straight into bed before she could ask why he even needed to do that. By the time he had gotten better Nana had forced the memory so far down (it was hard to look him in the eye after that _okay?!)_ that she forgot to ask again.

"Snake," she fell to the ground in despair. The dress floated around her magically, making her feel twice as dramatic and thrice as disbelieving. What was her life?

_"Yes Nana?"_

"...I can't get the zipper all the way."

_"You will need to get assistance."_

He sounded amused. _Too_ amused. Not for the first time Nana wanted a face to punch.

"You're enjoying this."

_"A bit."_

"Aghh," Nana ruffled their hair aggressively, definitely making it look like a bird's nest. Whatever. She wasn't nervous. She wasn't even _phased_.

Rolling her shoulders Nana stood up and kicked the door to the dressing room open.

Then flushed and even deeper red when, after making brief eye contact with the three people waiting on her, the door bounced right back and clicked shut.

Snake was laughing.

There was a soft, two patterned knock.

"Nana," Natsuki sounded completely casual, which was how Nana knew she was laughing at her. "Do you need help?"

Instead of answering she opened up the door, her other hand covering her face.

"Not a word," she warned.

"About what?" Natsuki, the deity that she was, slipped behind her and zipped the dress the rest of the way up.

Nana looked up at the other two.

Fabio was smiling politely. Kouske snorted.

Nana kicked him with Flame enforced toes, reveling in the flinch and glare sent her way.

Fabio's smile widened. He offered Nana his hand. "Shall we get started?"

"Yes," Nana huffed, chin up and all the nerves shoved down into the very bottom of her stomach where she could pretend it was indigestion. "_Thank_ you."

Kouske rolled his eyes.

Fabio lead her over to the most extravagant make-up station Nana had seen since that one sleep-over in Beccio Catarina's room during her third year (that bitch).

"Don't let all this intimidate you," Fabio assured her, motioning for her to take a seat. He looked her over thoughtfully. "This is to supposed to give the impression of who you truly are, it would be foolish to drown you in cosmetics. Just enough to highlight your natural beauty, and perhaps a bit of color to match the dress."

Nana jumped _at least_ five feet in the air when Kouske suddenly stepped around the chair in front of her and leaned over her. His suit jacket was gone, the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up, and a container of something in hand.

"_You're_ doing my makeup?!" Nana cried, feeling like a deer in headlights. Natsuki peered over her husband's shoulder, his jacket draped over her arms.

"Kouske enjoys things like this. Not to say anything poorly about Fabio, of course, but where he thrives in creating art out of cloth Kouske uses paints."

"Okay," Nana breathed out slowly, still eyeballing Kouske like he was going to snap her throat. "You guys know you don't have to keep telling me about how perfect you are right? Cause, like, I already know. You could tell me you know how to build a safe, structurally sound space rocket out of fucking pocket lint and I would believe you."

Nana hated herself for how pleased Kouske looked with the compliment.

"That wasn't mean to make you happy!"

"May I?" Kouske motioned towards her face, cutting off Nana's building rant. It was the most polite thing he had ever said to her, which is what she blamed when her mouth clicked shut and her head nodded.

Thin fingers pulled at her hair while Kouske smeared some kind of cream on her cheeks. Nana met Natsuki's eyes in the mirror. She smiled.

Nana was going to die.

_"That looks quite lovely," _Snake commented when everything was done.

Nana was still stuck in her brain, rolling cartwheel circles of chaos around her skull.

"Is what little brain you had left finally gone?" Kouske smirked, tugging his jacket back on.

"_No_," Nana snapped back, the familiar pettiness to argue with him calling her back like a homing beacon. "I just… this is really fucking cool. I honestly think you're tricking me and that's not a mirror. There's just some lady mimicking me until the jumpscare happens."

Her hair was left down, only slightly curled, but Natsuki had added a thin headband made of golden leaves. Her face looked… not like her face but totally her face? Like, it was still her but the pretty orange and yellow colors along her eyelids that matched her dress made her face seem… shinier? Nicer?

Fabio had given her some dark orange flats (thank god) that had thin dark yellow wraps that went up to just below her knees. And with the way the dress accentuated the muscles around her shoulders and back…

"I look really pretty," Nana breathed, twisting back and forth.

"You always look pretty," Natsuki told her plainly, glancing at her watch. "And we are right on time. Nana, now that you have seen his work what do you think of Fabio?"

"Uh," Nana looked over her shoulder, "besides the fact that he's still in the room? This is probably the nicest thing I've ever worn. Ever. And I had uniforms at school that could feed me for a month if I sold them."

Which she had, once she graduated, which all the girls were badass enough to join in on so they all donated the money to whatever charity they thought needed it the most. It was fucking awesome.

Kouske shook hands with Fabio.

"Hold it!" Nana karate chopped down, breaking the two apart. "What is this 'I just made a deal with the devil' shit going on here? You might have fooled me this far with your- your _magics_ and your sultry gazes but no more! What are your plans?!"

Kouske turned to Fabio, motioning at Nana.

Fabio nodded. "Yes, I see what you mean. They are delightful."

Kouske sighed like he had missed the point.

"Nana," Natsuki placed a hand on her shoulder. "Fabio was once a part of the Italian mafia."

"Seriously?" Nana looked up (and up) at him.

Fabio tipped his head. "I was. Natsuki, and in a much smaller way Kouske, helped me leave that life mostly behind to start living out my dream."

"Smaller?" Kouske scowled. "I did _everything-"_

"And without Natsuki it would have been meaningless so your efforts were, in fact, minimal," Fabio waved his hand flippantly at him.

Nana gapped.

Fabio looked down at her, amused. "I am sure he won't tell you anything himself, but Kouske and I have known each other since we were children."

"You were in the mafia?!" Nana whirled on him.

"No."

Fabio laughed softly. "No, not at all. He simply happened to live near my Famiglia. Kouske is a very boring man, don't expect too much from him."

"Fabio," Nana clasped her hands together, looking up at him with awe-struck eyes. "You're my hero."

"I am honored," he smiled back down at her, mirthful in every corner. "Back to the original topic, I do still have some ties to the mafia but they are all informational. My skills have become highly valued across the seas and I trade my goods for knowledge. As such, I know exactly what each Famiglia values when it comes to aesthetics. It would be my honor to help you plan accordingly when you are to meet with them. I will also make sure to always have a variety of different styles for you to choose from, unlike today. Dress, suit, or otherwise I will match what you need most."

Oh damn. Nana hadn't even thought of that part. She had been so focused on the rules and customs, afraid of her social disaster skills ruining her chances, she hadn't even _thought_ about how her looks would come across to people that were more traditional that _Hanazawa-san_. She had some minimal knowledge about that kind of thing from school, but no in-depth, family-by-family guide.

"So you're like the cheat guide?" she clarified.

Fabio blinked. "That's accurate enough."

Nana looked down at herself, then around the room. "How much for the dress?"

He smirked (and it looked so much like Kouske's Nana kind of wanted to hide). "I will charge you for anything extra, of course, but if it has to do with your plans for my home country then everything I give to you will be free."

"No," Nana poked him in the chest. Fabio blinked, startled. "No more of that. You can give me a discount, if you _really_ have to, but nothing for free unless it's like a birthday thing or something. I already have these two," she jerked her thumb over her shoulder, "throwing way too much into this without enough returns, I'm not going to start adding to that number. And if you don't charge me I'm just going to start leaving random bags of money in your store all the time. I'll totally overprice everything too!"

Fabio stared at her for a moment, blinking slowly. He looked up over her head, and whatever he saw there must have been convincing enough because the next second he conceded.

"A discount then," he promised, smiling warmly. "I see why they like you so much."

"No more flattery either!" Nana flushed, poking him again out of nerves now. "It's too much!"

"Of course," he agreed. "For tonight at least."

"Mgh," Nana grumbled.

"Now, about the rest of the night," Natsuki cut in, stepping back into Nana's line of sight. "The restaurant across the street, I'm sure you noticed it?"

"It was a castle Natsuki," Nana used exaggerated hand motions. "Of course I noticed it!"

The taller woman smiled. "Well, it is a favored traveling location for foreigners that are more criminally inclined."

"It's a bad guy castle," Nana gasped.

Natsuki opened her mouth, then paused. "For the most part," she settled on. "There are also several charitable and open-minded individuals but those are admittedly more rare. Kouske and I wanted to take you there tonight for several reasons."

Nana fidgeted. She froze when a hand fell on her head, holding her still but careful not to mess up her hair.

"Prove to us that you can win over the people you target," Kouske challenged, eyes narrowed and focused.

"There are going to be many things you have to do to win over the mafia Nana," Natsuki stepped up next to Kouske, creating a combined force that always made Nana freak out. "Not all of the Famiglias will want the future you offer. Some will follow your ideals, some your strength, and the others," Natsuki made sure she had Nana's eyes, "will follow your lies."

Nana folded her arms. Slowly, she tapped a finger along her arm. "I… think I know what you're getting at. But can you explain more?"

"The majority of the mafia is made up of smaller Famiglias," Natsuki twisted the end of her braid as she spoke. "Whether good intentioned or not most of them will agree to back you for the chance to obtain more equal-footed sway over their laws compared to the bigger Famiglias. Some will only be bought by brute force. I am fairly certain there will be those that join you simply because they see it as the right thing to do, but in the end there will be a fraction that can only be won over by making them believe that they are the ones in control. That they can somehow control you, as the figurehead, to get what they want in the end."

Nana looked down, thinking about it. "So… I need to be able to act convincingly enough that they agree to my terms while still believing that their terms will be the ones to win out in the end."

"Yes," Natsuki nodded. "And while your records from school speak highly of your diplomatic abilites that is a particular facet of yours that we have not seen. We would like for you to demonstrate, to put our worries at ease."

In Boarding School, there had been a game the teachers always had them play. They would get notecards with different personalities and names, as well as targets. Either people or information, by the end of the game you needed to have learned your assigned questions to win. It had been one of Nana's favorites. It had reminded them of their life before when the twins would have story nights and they would all take turns playing a part and changing up the story as they went. It was pretty much just acting, and Nana had a blast so she always did her best to get better at it. Make it more interesting, like the stories. By the end of her final year she had one of the highest recorded scores in the entire school.

"I can do that," she looked up, determined. The people she would be tricking, they would be the ones that Tsuna learned about in school. They would be the cruel ones, who enjoyed hurting people and taking from others purely because they believed they themselves deserved the world. They would be the ones that, if left alone, would try to hurt Tsuna the most.

"Prove it," Kouske let go of her head (she wasn't _that _fidgety, what an ass) and walked towards the door.

"You won't have to do too much," Natsuki promised, stretching up to kiss Fabio on the cheek in farewell. "We also want them to see that you are valued by our family, and with us there only certain people will approach you. A small demonstration is all we wish to see."

Nana really wanted to know how her being seen with the Hibari family would be so influential if they weren't actually a part of the mafia, but she doubted they would answer. She was starting to get the feeling that they wanted her to try to figure it out for herself.

Which was a _pain_, but also kind of fun when she didn't think about their shady ties too deeply. It was like a blind scavenger hunt in a creepy forest.

"Enjoy your dinner," Fabio waved goodbye to them.

"Thank you Fabio!" Nana rushed over and shook his hand vigorously. "You're really cool. Ask Natsuki for my number later and text me all the embarrassing stories about Kouske you have. I've got some good ones to share too!"

Fabio placed his hand over hers, slowing the handshake to normal speeds. "I look forward to speaking with you more Nana."

Now this was a deal she could feel good about.

Kouske grabbed her arm and nearly chucked her out the door, glaring at Fabio.

"Not a word."

"My lips are sealed," Fabio mimed zipping his lips. "I just simply can't say the same for what my fingers may write."

"Goodbye Fabio," Natsuki pushed her growling husband out the door. "Consider your debt paid."

"I don't think I can ever think of it as paid Natsuki," he smiled warmly, "but I appreciate it."

They left the store together, Nana putting an extra little twist in her step so that the dress swayed and brushed along her legs. It was so _silky._

"Here," Kouske shoved a folder into her hands as they made their way to the crosswalk.

"Where the fuck did you get this?" Nana squinted at him. "Those pockets look like they would fit a single q-tip, there's no way you had this the whole time."

Kouske side-eyed her. "If you do not want the handicap then simply throw them away."

Nana hugged them to her chest. "I am never above cheating. These are mine now."

"Here Nana," Natsuki held out her hand. "I will help guide you while you read."

"Oh sweet, thanks," Nana blushed a bit, taking her hand and holding the file open with the other. It looked like basic fact sheets about a handful of people. Probably who they were going to meet at dinner. Man, this was not how she was planning for her night to go, but she couldn't help the thrill of excitement. School had been tough as hell, but it had also been the most exhilarating time of her life. It was fun getting back into this stuff.

Natsuki and Kouse shared a look over her head, one fondly exasperated and the other deadpan.

"...Family guy, easy… sleazy but gay, so my dress means I have a brother now… loves underground wrestling, piece of cake… awww, sweater knitter for dogs? We should do them last, that's gonna be adorable. Crazy OCD, we should do them first."

"Are you done?" Kouske asked before they got too close.

Nana flipped the folder closed and passed it back. "Considering the fact you gave that to me while we only had to walk across the street you should feel amazed by how fast I read that."

She blinked and the folder was gone.

"See?" she pointed at him aggressively. "_Magic."_

"Nana," Natsuki squeezed her hand before letting go. "Are you ready?"

"Hold on," she flapped her hands, closing her eyes. "Let me get into character."

The two Hibaris raised an eyebrow.

Natsuki hummed appreciatively when all the tension melted away from Nana's shoulders. Kouske looked grudgingly impressed when she opened her eyes and looked back up at them. She looked exactly the same, but the set of her shoulders, tension in her spin, and the way the muscles in her face moved made her seem like a different person. Instead of the chaotic ball of energy they knew her as Nana looked more like a rich young woman fascinated by the castle but resigned politely to try to hide it.

A perfect target.

As they entered the building and all eyes turned to Kouske and Natsuki first, before looking bewildered at their guest (Nana could understand that, the Hibaris didn't seem like 'guest' type of people) Nana stomped down the giddiness in her heart before it showed on her face.

Game start.

-00-

"It was _awesome_," Nana wrapped around the body pillow like an octopus, falling sideways on Lavina's bed.

The owner of said bed was sitting with her back against her headboard, dabbing a cottonball in makeup remover.

"Close your eyes," Lavina warned, brushing Nana's hair back.

Nana obeyed easily, shivering at the cold touch of the liquid as Lavina helped her get everything off.

"Kouske couldn't be an asshole either, otherwise he'd blow the whole thing, so he was forced to act like a _gentleman_," Nana snickered. "It was hilarious! He had to pull out my chair for me every time I wanted to sit down, so of course I was getting up all the time just to wander back, I could tell he was getting pissy with me. And Elisa, the one that knits the dog sweaters, was so sweet! I know we don't have a dog but I commissioned one anyway so you could see. She's going to send it to Natsuki in a few days. The food was to die for too. I wanted to box up a bunch of extra to take home but people kept watching us and I didn't want to screw up after we got so far. Natsuki told me I handled everything really well but that was, like, second-year level. I told her about our graduation final and Kouske tried to call me a liar but then I told him how you used that ice-cream scoop to convince Sofia that you were actually an underground doctor and for some reason _that_ made him believe me. What kind of stuff do you guys get up to when I'm not around, if that's what convinces him?"

"This and that," she chuckled, poking Nana's nose to let her know she was done. "It sounds like you had a lot of fun, and the dress is gorgeous."

They both turned to look at the dress hung against Lavina's door. Nana had run in (knowing she would be up at midnight because her medicine was starting to seriously suck right now) and started spazzing out, trying to get all her words out at once. Lavina had told her that if she was going to be making that much noise when the sun was down then she could at least throw on one of Lavina's nightgowns and lay down.

So here they were.

"I miss school," Lavina sighed. "We complained so much when it was happening, but we had so much fun."

"We did," Nana agreed. She needed to side-step this conversation a bit before Lavina got too wrapped up in the things she used to be able to do. "You should come to that place sometime too. We can ask Natsuki or Kouske when would be best. The gardens are so well put together, it gave me some neat ideas. We could bring Kyoya, I'm sure he'd like it even if he pretended to hate it. Hey, we could make it a whole family trip!"

"I'd like that," Lavina ran her hand through Nana's hair, gentle and soothing. She smiled, biting her lip to hold back a laugh when Nana's eyes fluttered.

"It'd… be fun. And you could meet… Fabio. Love him. He's so… cool. He made fun of- of… uh, Kouske."

"Did he?" Lavina murmured, pulling up the blankets she had made sure were scrunched up at the bottom of the bed before Nana laid down. Tucking them around her friend's shoulders she clicked off the light and burrowed down as well.

Nana reached out and grabbed her hand, twining their fingers together.

"I really… love Namimori."

"Me too," Lavina whispered, leaning forward so that their heads were pressed together. "Me too."

Nana was out a second later.

It took Lavina a while longer. Her body was still aching, and she could feel the annoying ringing in her ears she always got late at night, but with Nana's hand in hers and the soft, squeaking breaths that had filled her childhood right next to her she found herself starting to doze an hour later.

When Reborn did his rounds around the house not long after, he found the two sleeping peacefully, curled towards each other like security blankets. He looked at the dress on the door thoughtfully. He recognized that style of work…

With a smirk he tipped his hat down and returned to Tsuna's room.

Maybe Nana would actually manage to do it.

**-00-**

**I love writing these characters. It's super cathartic and it helps me sleep.**

**4everfictional: Every. Chapter. Are you... are you an angel?! You must be! And for your questions: Nana told the Yamamotos about the ten-year-bazooka because... well, when it comes to Nana's friends they have no filter. They see this weird stuff going down and you bet they are on their phone saying "holy shit, you are never gonna believe what just went down!" XD I liked your foreshadowing mini-tangent! I agree with that a lot! If someone figures it out then it actually encourages me to flesh out the idea even more, not take away from it, to make it even more worth the wait. I also get super excited when someone figures stuff out cause it means that they were focusing on my story hard enough to pick up on stuff I hid. It's nice. I delivered on cuddles, kisses will be future inward bound! It is super cute to think about. I get mushy real easy.**

**Righello Di'Tutti: My god. How have I not noticed that before?! It's perfect XD**

**bloodshound: I'm feeling that love! T-T It's so sweet and nice! 'slightly soggy fluffy feels'. Yes. Just, yes. No wonder Kouske is always so disgusted, it's a thing everybody wants but it's _soggy_. He can't deal. XD I don't have an official name for it yet... because I forgot that's a thing I should probably do. It will happen!**

**Entranced by you: Noted and prepared! Especially once we get out of the daily life arc (jeebus, I forgot how long that thing is) then the badassery will be prevalent all the time!**

**Vivienne001: Nana: *Nods sagely* yes. Yes he is.**

**CreativityIsWriting: =~= Too sweet! Thank you! I'm glad you liked it :D**

**Toaneo07 Ver2.0: You're cool!**

**Yuki Nagasawa: It's super easy, just give me a name, flame type, and basic backstory. You can make them civilian, mafia, whatever. If you want to give me a physical description go for it, if you can't think of one (sometimes I struggle with actually making the face of my most beloved characters T-T) then I'll design them based off the personality you give me. Age helps me out a lot too, so I know what group is most likely to run into them and who will gravitate towards them. If there's anything you ask for that I can't do (cause of plot stuff) I'll let you know really fast but I'm pretty flexible so it's not usually an issue. Some people have given me more than one OC too cause they couldn't decide on just one and that's cool too! I'll always make sure to credit you for allowing me to add their color to the story and I'll let you know when they are about to show up.**

**Lya stark: I love _you_! Glad you like it!**

**Katsekala: Tsuna is super relatable, that little ball of fluff. Thank you for offering Gemma (is that her first or last name, just to be sure)! Are you cool if she is one of Nana's old classmates?**

**Mel Writer: Hey again friend! Daw, thanks! I got super emotional the last few chapters T-T Glad you liked them!**

**Guest: *blush* aw, shucks. I appreciate your kind words :)**


	20. Thanksgiving

**Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Sorry for the huge delays in content, my second job is at a grocery store and the subsequent build-up to Black Friday is kind of killing us all. I work from 4pm-1am today T-T**  
**But! I wanted to let you all know how eternally grateful I am to be able to write and share these ideas with you. And to have people that genuinely enjoy what I write is more than I could ever ask for. I am grateful to all of you and I hope your day is filled with all the love and appreciation you deserve! And hey, if you're having a crap day and it's hitting hard I hope it helps, even just a small bit, to know that you're loved and appreciated, even if just by me.**

**Short little thing in celebration of Thanksgiving today! **  
**The parents get ready for a group meal**  
**Kouske and Nana create a rare, unified team**  
**Lavina panics**  
**Natsuki... tries her best**  
**Tsuyoshi, the one with an actual job as a chef, surprising sucks at this (If it ain't fish, it ain't my dish)**  
**The kids are in the background somewhere, probably causing chaos**  
**Reborn takes the day off from that chaos to join a new chaos**  
**Cooking with friends is fun**

**-00-**

Thanksgiving

**-00-**

Thanksgiving was a time for love. It was about coming together with your loved ones and celebrating the fact that they were in your life. It was about looking at the good in your life, big or small, and being grateful for it. It was a day for love and gratitude.

Japan… didn't really have a Thanksgiving per se, but they did have a Thanksgiving/Labor Day kind of thing to celebrate harvests and workers and stuff. So Nana took the opportunity to introduce some of the traditions from their last life.

Only to regret it immediately afterwards.

"I said whisk it not beat it," Nana elbowed Reborn out of the way to salvage what they could. "Why do the deviled eggs look like that? Who was in charge of that? Tsuyoshi!"

Thank every entity known to man for Kouske because Nana was about to lose their god damned mind. He was the only one actually making any progress while, at the same time, saving the others from mistakes that would destroy whatever dish they were making.

"Nana, it's not quite reaching the consistency it needs," Snake huffed in the back of their head. "I do not understand. I followed your exact process."

"Try adding a bit more milk," Nana advised, swirling in a cloud of flour over to Lavina to readjust her hold on the knife. "And Lavina don't tense up so much. You'll hurt yourself."

Lavina stared down at fruits like they were her worst enemy. "I want this to be perfect Nana. If I can't cut these into perfect flower shapes then what good am I as a mother?"

Nana blinked at her blankly. "You take some of these things way to serious- Aiko I've told you a thousand times the sugar goes in last!"

"It is last!" Aiko argued back, the mixing bowl held precariously in her hands as she turned around. Nana almost shrieked when a drop spilled over the rim. "I don't have anything else to add!"

"Kouske literally measured everything out for you," Nana pointed at the small bowls lining the cabinet next to the taller woman. "That is everythingyou need so if one of them isn't empty then it means you haven't used them all!"

Aiko huffed. "This is far too much cinnamon."

"No," Nana put their foot down. "The other ingredients will balance it out. Are you saying Kouske made a mistake?"

The other side of the room seemed a bit darker. Aiko pressed her lips together while dumping in the rest of the cinnamon.

This was quite possibly the one time in their entire life that Nana felt unified with Kouske.

"Oh hey!" Tsuyoshi laughed. "That's a funny color. Why'd it change color like that?"

These fucking heathens.

"That would be due to the sweet potatoes," Natsuki brushed a stray dusting of flour off her cheek. "This is looking fine Tsuyoshi-kun but I do believe you should finish your original job before moving on to the next."

Tsuyoshi craned his neck to look over at his bowl of half mixed egg fillings. "...Isn't that fine as it is?"

Iron hands clamped down on his shoulder. Tsuyoshi smiled brightly back at Kouske as the man moved him back to the other side of the kitchen. He laughed even louder when Nana put the bowl in his hands, glaring at him until he started mixing again.

"Here," Reborn dropped what had to be the fiftieth bowl that day into Nana's arms. They fumbled with it, trying not to let it spill.

"Don't drop shit in here," Nana warned him, taste testing the cream. "Oh, this is way better! Good job Reborn!"

He smirked, tipping his fedora down. Nana wasn't going to tell him about the powdered sugar his fingers left behind, especially since Leon seemed all for the cleanup job.

"Okay, you can start on the potatoes now," Nana checked the time. "They should be done cooking. Just put them in the bowl I left by the stove and start mashing."

Reborn shrugged and moved to comply. He really shouldn't be wearing a dress shirt while they worked but at least he had taken off the suit jacket and tie. That would have been a disaster.

"I'm done!" Aiko cheered, once more spinning with the bowl in a way that made Nana's stomach clench. " And I put the sugar in very last!"

Kouske grabbed the bowl from her hands before it could spill, looking very much like he wanted to kick everyone out of his kitchen.

"...Go check on the children."

"Yes," Aiko said, as though that had not been her plan all along. She skipped over to give Tsuyoshi a kiss on the cheek before ducking out.

Kouske sighed. Nana patted him on the back in solidarity.

"Natsuki," Kouske set Aiko's bowl to the side, stepping up next to his wife. "You're peeling too much."

Natsuki looked from him to the thin, barely even there slice of carrot left over. "Should I stop here then?"

Kouske nodded. He handed her a grate instead. "Go help Lavina."

"Alright," Natsuki agreed, drying off her hands. She gave him a fond kiss, brushing her thumb along his cheekbone before she left.

Most of Nana's jobs were finished, they were just waiting for the various timers lined along the oven to go off. They bumped Kouske over to help finish up peeling the remaining vegetables.

"Um… Kouske-san. Nana, is this… okay?"

Miyu looked as small as the freshly filled creampuffs on the tray in her hands.

"Ohh, nice job Miyu!" Nana tilted their head around to see them better. "These look awesome!"

Kouske moved two of them a bit further apart, nodding. "These are fine. Put them in the fridge next to the pudding."

"Okay," her smile bloomed out, the praise helping straighten her spine.

"When you're done with that why don't you help Aiko with the kids?" Nana suggested. "We're just about done here and I don't think Kyoya would be very happy with us for leaving him in charge of everyone for so long."

Kouske snorted.

"Okay," Miyu nodded. "I don't think we need to worry though. Tsuna-kun is very good at keeping everyone safe."

At the expense of his own sanity, sure.

Once Miyu had left Nana took stock of where everyone was at, absentmindedly peeling a zucchini while they did so.

Lavina and Natsuki were bickering quietly over how to arrange the artfully cut fruits, Tsuyoshi was still mixing the damned egg fillings but he was keeping to himself so that was fine, Reborn was mashing the potatoes with a singular focus that was kind of alarming to look at, and Bianchi was still singing to herself happily in the little corner Nana had set up just for her. No one else seemed to really like Bianchi's cooking but like hell was Nana going to let an entire festive meal go by without her delicious cooking. Nana would eat everything themselves if they had to, but they were sure Tsuna would want some too.

"We're almost done," Nana breathed a sigh in relief.

"Finally," Kouske rolled his eyes. "This would have been done faster without them."

"Oh yeah, absolutely," Nana said. "But this holiday is all about coming together so it's kind of a tradition to have others help."

"We have never had other people help."

"But isn't it nice to cook with Natsuki?" Nana dug the trap.

Kouske glared at them. "Any time spent with Natsuki is enjoyable, I was talking about the rest of these idiots."

"Well... what about Lavina? And Miyu? They both helped a lot!"

Kouske rolled his eyes, washing off the last of the vegetables in the sink. "Lavina has been overcome with anxiety since the realization that this was the first holiday with her son she would be celebrating in full. It has made her sloppy. Miyu took the entire time to do one half-hour job due to her own worries. Everything would have been done faster if we were the only ones involved."

"And as touched as I am that you want to cook with me," Nana placed a hand over their heart, "everyone else still had fun. They drove us to the brink of insanity, sure, but that's what this kind of thing is all about!"

"Suffering?"

"Suffering together."

Kouske made that little disgusted noise in the back of his throat that Nana had come to know as the one where he didn't want to admit how much he actually enjoyed social interaction with his friends.

"See? You love us."

Nana spluttered a bit when Kouske put his hand over their face and shoved them out of the way so he could join Natsuki and Lavina.

"Okay," Nana righted themselves, flipping him off. "Rude, asshole."

Three timers went off at once.

In the following storm of chaos the rest of the food turned out okay (despite Tsuyoshi's best efforts, he was a chef for a living what the fuck-?) and Nana and Kouske came out of it with more patience than either expected to have left.

It was great.

And sure, the meal inevitably dissolved into a food fight once Mukuro and Kyoya realized they were going to be sitting next to each other, but Natsuki was a pro at keeping her husband from murdering children so that ended fine too (Nana couldn't even bring themself to be upset when Tsuna won in the end cause fuck yeah their son was the best ). Snake kept up some nice running commentary too (even though he complained that his dishes didn't come out looking nearly as nice as Nana's, what a nerd).

It wasn't the Thanksgiving they remembered, with a small meal and shared jokes. The atmosphere back then had been calm and relaxed. It had been warm in a way Nana treasured more than anything. But for all the differences the most important part remained the same. Nana could still sit there, smiling and laughing, as they basked in the pure fortune they had in being able to find a family that fit them so well.

A family to be grateful for.

**-00-**

**Sorry it's so short! I wanted to add a lot more but I feel like I had to get this out today you know? **  
**Have a Happy Thanksgiving and if you don't celebrate that then just have a fantastic day! Let someone know you love them, even if just for the heck of it!**  
**And speaking of which...**  
**I love you all!**

**ChaosHearth: Ohhh, thanks friend! I can't access the link though, would you mind posting it again? I can't wait to add her in!**

**Guest: *dramatic bow, tips over self, faceplants* ...thank you XD**

**ACasualPotato: That paints a beautiful picture XD Nana first meets them as a totally professional, serious person. Then they see them one day screaming at Kyoya to stop murdering someone with paint in their hair, stabbing a man's hand with a capri-sun straw while at the same time trying to wrestle Lambo into a new outfit (you need to wash your CLOTHES) while explosions go off all around them. XD X'D (GOOD POTATO, GOOD). Dino and Nana are going to be a treat to write, let me tell you. I both love and hate the fact that I get sleepy from writing. Love, cause it helps me sleep, but HATE cause it makes it hard to write reliably when I'm tired T-T How'd your Halloween costume turned out? As awesome as you I bet!**

**Guest: ...About that 'active user' thing... I try to be! Sorry it takes so long T-T**

**bloodshound: Fabio will definitely be popping up in the main story, guaranteed! He's too cool to be left out!**

**I... LOVE IT! I'm already working on a plan for the wonderful Juliet. Would it be cool if I PM'ed you with questions later as I hash things out? Thank you for allowing me to borrow someone you clearly care a lot about! You rock!**

**Guest: That anagram though XD They are pretty cute! I'll have to write more for them soon. And the Yamamotos, that's a popular request too.**

**Mel Writer: So you asketh, so shall it be!**

**Anya: I'll totes write more of that for you. I'll start a side story thing so even if it doesn't end up being Canon in this story (I literally have no idea on end pairings right now) I can still explore that avenue of things. I'll let you now when it's up! I'll do requests most of the time too, cause you guys are all so awesome.**

**Katsekala: Thank you! You're so nice! Would you mind if I PM'ed you later on if I have any questions about Gemma? Many hugs!**

**Glorificate: Seven hours?! You're so cool! I'm glad you like it so much! I love your characters a lot, btw, and I can't wait to incorporate them. You rock!**

**Hakuei Shirei: Welp, you're too sweet to be real. Thank you so much! I would love to be able to add your dash of color to this story! They will be welcomed with open arms! No worries about rudeness, I totally get it. I also want to update faster T-T Have a wonderful day friend!**

**Yuki Nagasawa: You're never an inconvenience dear friend! Especially not with such cool people! You are, the literal best. I can't wait to have them pop up :D**

**MikanMD: Thank _you _for the kind words :D**


	21. Better Than Nothing

**Oh. My. Good. Golly. Gosh.**

**Seriously. This chapter took me freaking forever. Usually, if something isn't _completely_ perfect then I'll let some things slide that won't really matter in the long run. Couldn't do that this time. Had to really nail it and by god I think I've done it. **

**...I hope I've done it.**

**Aghhhh! It's done! It's here! I hope you enjoy!**

**Nana contemplates life**

**Snake is slapped with reality**

**...Kyoko's scary**

**So is Lavina**

**The kid gang forms a gang (through treachery)**

**Tsuna would like to die now, thank you**

**Kyoya's both a momma's boy and a teacher's pet, don't let the blood and murder fool you**

**Haru is either fearless or suicidal**

**Nana contemplates Snake**

**-00-**

Better Than Nothing

**-00-**

Life was odd. Especially when viewed through the concept of time. You can experience so much in just a single day that it makes the time seem to stretch on forever but then you look back and suddenly a year, five years, a _decade_ has passed in the blink of an eye. Even moments that hold the biggest importance, events that are stamped onto your soul like an engraving in stone, can seem both distant _and_ like they happened only yesterday.

Nana's conversation with Tsuna had been a week ago and already it felt like it had happened long in the past while still startling both of them with the changes it had brought. Nana had felt that their relationship with their son was already strong. They didn't think it was possible for it to get better but somehow, impossibly, it _had_. There was this added layer in their interactions now. Simple smiles with deeper depths of feeling than ever before. Tsuna hugged Nana all the time now. At least twice a day (when he left and when he came home) and while he still blushed like the embarrassed teenager he was he never let it stop him from telling Nana he loved them. Nana themself felt like they had suddenly understood Tsuna in a way they hadn't before. Tsuna was truly becoming his own person and being able to treat him with different levels of responsibility was both frightening (he was growing up so _fast_, did he really need to rush…?) and heartwarming (he was growing up so _strong_).

Nana hadn't stopped smiling the entire week.

Then, of course, there were the changes in Tsuna himself that made Nana want to laugh, cry, and cheer until the whole world knew how amazing and how loved their son was. To an outsider's view, the changes were small. Barely noticeable. Simple things that no one would really notice outside a passing thought.

But Nana noticed.

How Tsuna woke up on time, by himself, nearly every morning now. How he kept straightening his shoulders randomly throughout the day, trying so hard to walk taller when his own body kept naturally shrinking down. How he sat down to study, without any prompting, at the kitchen table even if his focus could only last for half an hour at most and he ended up grumbling to himself while he flicked his pencil around (before Reborn appeared to scare some energy back into him). How _Tsuna_ would sometimes approach _Reborn_ to ask questions about his homework or the exercise Reborn had assigned to him. Nana wished they could read the toddler's mind just to know what was really going through his head when Tsuna, the night after their talk, asked the hitman if he knew any exercises that would help him get stronger. Usually Reborn had to trick or scare Tsuna into exercising but now (while Reborn still did that at least once a day) Tsuna was trying to motivate _himself_ to do it. Tsuna tumbling down the stairs at five in the morning, shirt inside out and shoes untied, to tell Nana that he was joining them on their morning run had been like the cherry on top (even if Nana had to cut their run in half so Tsuna didn't die).

Tsuna was fourteen-years-old and he was already leagues ahead of where Nana had been when they were his age (the first time around).

Speaking of their age...

Nana was thirty-four years old. They had been thirty-two when they died. Nana had now officially been in this life longer than the first but it didn't feel like it.

It felt… weird.

Nana blinked up at the sky above her, the leaves filtering the sun down to little beams of warmth along her body as she stretched out lazily in the grass. Fourteen years and Tsuna had already experienced so much. G_rown_ so much. If he could learn and adapt to so many things in little more than a decade then Nana wondered what his life would be like when _he _was thirty-four.

Hell, in that amount of time she had gotten magic Lightning powers that were somehow flames even though they were _lightning_, the ability to choke someone out with her thighs, a second father, a musical goddess as a sister and close friend, _super_ close knit friends she would die for, a home of her own and enough money to actively take care of anyone she met that needed it (which had always been her dream because of her first father and her siblings but the economy sucked and she had't had the opportunities back then she had now), a _student_ who actually listened to her even though he was some kind of eldritch horror with a penchanct for categorizing everyting based on eating habits (even if what he called them and what their actual eating haibts were did not match in _any way_), an educatinal background that made her seem like a damn philosopher compared to her last life, a voice in her head that had somehow managed to change rapidly from 'most hated enemy' to 'closest confidant' in a handful of years, a son who was not only the reason for her being ableto have all this in the first place but was also the kindest, most beautiful person Nana had ever known and who looked at her like she had made the world just for him (he had called her his _hero_, holy _shit_), and _another_ son who was so imaginative and sweet it made her want to cry all the time even when he decided her shirt would be an acceptable substitute for a tissue (and by god would she break Lambo of that habit if it fucking killed her).

And those were only a few points. The ones she could think of off the top of her head as being the most influential in her life and choices. Those didn't even _begin_ to encompass the millions of pieces that made up who she was and what she aimed to be. Her neighbors who helped raise her, her schoolmates who went from 'run, hide, they're crazy as fuck over here' to 'we are family and I would give the world to you if you asked', her friends in Namimori individually in the ways they affected her life and how they came together as one conglomerate to form her very heart and soul, her son's friends who were so unique but heartbreakingly kind in all the same ways, Iemitsu who even after all this time had still built the foundation she needed to start down this path, and so many hundreds, thousands, _millions_ more. If she could get all of that in such a small amount of time she couldn't wait to see what Tsuna was able to experience.

A breeze brushed through Nana's hair and she inhaled deep to let it fill her lungs. Grass poked and brushed along the exposed parts of her body, minuscule little sensations that showed proof of something miraculous. She was _alive. _

As she exhaled she sat up, stretching her arms just to feel the muscles and tendons pull. Wiggling her toes in her shoes because she could. Grinning because she wanted to.

"_Heading back?"_ Snake wondered.

"Yeah," Nana said. It was time to go home.

-00-

Halfway down The Mountain her phone rang. Nana was honestly surprised it had taken anyone this long to contact her. Usually by noon she had at least a few texts from Tsuna, half a dozen from Lavina, and maybe one or two from their house guests.

"Hello?"

"Hi Nana!"

Nana skipped along the path, light as air. "Hey Aiko! What's up?"

"Are you free tomorrow afternoon?"

Nana thought about it. "I think so, yeah. Kyoya is doing independent research for a project so our lesson will be short. Why, what's up?"

"I heard you're going to Italy soon!"

Had Lavina told her? Probably. Or one of the Hibaris found out and snitched.

"Yeah, there's a reunion thing going on with Lavina and I's old school," they explained.

"Is Lavina going as well?" Aiko wondered.

"We're not sure yet. Her doctors said as long as her tests remain positive then she should be able to go but we're holding off on a decision for now."

"I see," Aiko murmured. "If you're both free you should come by for lunch! We're closing a bit early and inviting everyone together! I feel like it's been too long since we all got to hang out."

Nana smiled. "We'd love to have lunch with you all! And Kouske too, I guess."

Aiko huffed out a small laugh. "I'm sure he'll be delighted."

Uh-huh. Sure. Whatever she said.

"This is perfect! Natsuki will be happy you're both coming. It was actually her idea!

Nana tilted their head, suspicious. "It's at your _house_, right? No tricks?."

The fricken castle/restaurant/_thing_ from Nana's last dinner with the Hibaris was awesome, sure, but she really didn't think her heart could take a repeat of that little excursion.

"Of course it's at our place," Aiko sounded amused. "Oh! And um, Natsuki said you might want to text Kyoya-kun at some point today. I don't know why she couldn't tell you herself, but she seemed busy."

"Kyoya?"

"Yeah, she said he's been worried about something but he seemed fine when I saw him earlier..."

"Ohh," Nana grimaced. As Kyoya expanded further into his plans for Namimori (it was kind of terrifying how both Natsuki and Kouske seemed perfectly content with letting him pretty much rule the city) their lessons together grew shorter and less frequent. Besides the homework Nana would make for him to make sure he retained everything they hadn't really had any serious lesson time since her talk with Tsuna. And that day in particular she had texted him that something had come up so she had to cancel. Which she had never done before and never actually explained to him after… "I'll be sure to do that. Damn, he must be seriously mad at me by now."

Natsuki hummed, worried but trusting. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then. And Natsuki-chan said to come prepared so be sure to do that, bye!"

And then she hung up.

Nana stared at her phone for a second. "Did that feel off to you?"

"_Everything about the Hibari family seems 'off' to me."_

Well damn. That sure said a lot, considering it was coming from _Snake_ of all people.

"I guess I just… shouldn't worry about it? I'll figure it out tomorrow."

"_That is a viable plan."_

"Yeah," Nana sighed, running a hand through their hair. "I'll see if Kyoya wants to meet up too. We can get sushi while I try to convince him everything is fine."

"_Is everything fine?"_

She rolled her eyes. "This last week has been amazing, of course it is. Why do you always think something is wrong?"

"_It is good for you to verbalize your problems. And, as you have mentioned before, your thoughts do occasionally stray from my ability to understand them. Hearing them makes it easier to know if there is anything troubling you."_

Nana blinked. A slow smile started to unfurl across her face. "This actually physically pains me admit to this out loud, but you did say it first so it's only fair. I'm proud of you Snake."

"_What?"_ he sounded confused.

"I'm proud of you," Nana repeated, sliding down the last incline of dirt that remained between the forest boundary and the sidewalk of Namimori. "I've been all introspective lately and thinking about how things used to be. I know you said you're this 'stagnant being' that never changes but you have. A lot. Remember when you first told me when I had to have Tsuna?"

"_...I do," _he said, with an undertone of second-hand embarrassment for his own past self that Nana related to on a soul level.

"And how every time I stopped freaking the fuck out you would remind me again?"

His reply was terser. "_Yes."_

"And how you just- you really _sucked_ at emotional understanding and empathy?"

"_I am assuming you have a point to all of this."_

Nana paused on the sidewalk. They didn't really want to have this huge emotional bonding moment where people could see them talking to themself like a crazy person.

"You're not like that anymore," Nana smiled softly. "You're still an asshole, and I'm still totally pissed about the reincarnation without asking thing, but you've changed. You actually care about me, I can tell, and I see how you care about the people around me too. When Tsuna went home last week you said I should let his friends know so they could be there for him. I doubt that had anything to do with saving the world. You've taught me recipes that are easy for Lavina to digest, and you always help me keep an extra eye on her during her bad days. You give me advice when you don't need to, and when I do my weird stories you don't tell me how ridiculous I am anymore. You join in and point out flaws so I have to actually work to make my weird-ass nonsense somehow realistic. You have competitions with me, and you _laugh_ sometimes. Snake," Nana blinked, coming to a sudden realization. "Holy shit. You're my best friend."

"_...Lavina is your best friend."_

Every good feeling that Nana had been feeling up to then froze. She had told Snake, honest and true, what she had noticed because she wanted him to _know _that she had noticed but suddenly she felt like she had stepped over a landmine where there wasn't supposed to be one because that had _not_ been Snake's voice. It had been soft and quiet in a way she struggled to hear even though it was said directly into her _head_. It had sounded shaken in a way that Snake just _wasn't._

It had sounded scared.

"Snake?" she called hesitantly.

"_Lavina is your best friend, Nana,"_ Snake said again, his voice completely back to normal.

"You can have more than one best friend," Nana told him, eyes wide and stock still. Their own voice lowered subconsciously to match his. She hadn't imagined that, had she? "And… I love Lavina with all of my heart, but I can't tell her _everything_. You know me Snake. You know who I _was_. You have been with me through everything, and I can tell you _anything_. You _are_ my best friend."

Snake didn't respond.

Not ten minutes later. Not thirty.

Not when Nana called out for him or when they finally started to head into town. Not when Nana looped around the next block twice, just to see if he was really taking his time to respond. She had wanted him to know she saw him trying but… had _he_ known he was trying? Had Nana just bullet-pointed something he wasn't even aware of?

Even if she had, why would it freak him out like that?

Nana texted Kyoya. They called ahead to Tsuyoshi to make sure some seats were open for lunch.

Snake said nothing. Nana didn't even know if he was there anymore, watching over like always.

For the first time in thirty-four years, Nana was completely alone with her thoughts.

And she hated it.

-00-

Trying to work with Reborn was like trying to pour sugar out of a torn-up bag. You only wanted a little, just enough for what you were making, but it all flooded out at once no matter how careful you were.

"Initiation," Reborn had explained when Tsuna asked what, exactly, they were doing outside at a park on a Thursday afternoon when they should be _in class_. If that hadn't been ominous enough the hitman had also been cleaning out his sixth gun in preparation for whatever 'initiation' meant.

"Come on Tsuna," Takeshi threw an arm around his shoulder, laughing. "We used to play with wooden swords too, remember?"

Tsuna did remember. Vividly. For a person that swore off violence so adamantly Kyoko was downright horrifying with a weapon in hand. There was a very good reason they stopped playing those games after day one.

"W-we all decided those were too dangerous! And those aren't swords!"

Takeshi nodded, corners of his eyes twitching a bit at the memory. "Yeah, but Kyoko-chan's not playing this time so we should be fine. Besides, he's just a kid! He can't hit us that hard, can he?"

'_He can!'_

"Hayato," Tsuna whipped around, practically nose to nose with the silver-haired boy as he begged for at least _one _of his friends to understand how dangerous this all was. "Please tell me you want no part in this."

Hayato, for all that he was near and dear to Tsuna's heart, had a tendency to not listen during important moments. Like now. Instead of listening to Tsuna and agreeing that this was absolutely not how the day should go he was staring straight up at the sky. Tsuna grabbed his shoulders, shaking a bit to draw his attention back but Hayato only pressed his lips together and leaned even further back. Tsuna was starting to worry he would pass out. The strain on his neck was turning his skin red and the further he tilted his head the wobblier he seemed.

Tsuna sighed in defeat. Backing away he slumped next to Takeshi.

"We are extremely late!"

A dust cloud settled over them as something blurred past. Tsuna coughed, waving his hand in front of his face. The pit of dread in his stomach grew three sizes. That had sounded like…

"You're late," Reborn chided, holding his fedora so it didn't fly off in the wind.

"I'm sorry!" Ryohei cried, bowing deeply. "I was helping a cat into a tree!"

"Hah?" Hayato looked incredulous. "What the hell do you mean _into_ a tree? You help cats out of trees you dumbass!"

Ryohei shook his head, straightening up and crossing his arms. "You are wrong Octopus-head! This cat wanted to be in that tree but it lacked one of its legs so I helped it achieve its dreams!"

"You put a _three-legged_ _cat_ in a _tree_?!" Hayato shrieked. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

"You… probably shouldn't do that," Takeshi agreed, laughing a bit.

"But it wanted to be there!"

"Onii-chan!"

Kyoko rounded the corner of the building. Tsuna and Takeshi shared a tense look.

She stormed up to her brother. "I told you to stop helping Bean-chan into trees, you _know_ he's not supposed to eat leaves."

"_What the fuck is happening_?!" Hayato whispered aggressively, throwing his arms out.

"Welcome to my world," Tsuna grumbled under his breath. "Reborn, I don't want all of my friends getting dragged into your crazy plans."

Reborn stood, a particularly intimidating looking rifle resting on his shoulder (how was he not tipping over with that huge amount of weight?). "The potential each of you has shown, as well as your loyalty to Tsuna, has made you prime candidates for Guardians."

"Don't just ignore me!"

"Guardians?" Kyoko tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Like… protectors?"

"Yes," Reborn said. "The number one job of a Vongola Guardian is to protect the Boss."

Takeshi patted Tsuna's shoulders, beaming. "That's you right?"

Tsuna muffled his scream with his hands.

"Tsuna will be the Boss," Reborn confirmed. He smirked, twirling the rifle in a way that was completely impossible given his size and pointing it at the group. "You all need to prove you can handle being a Guardian."

Ryohei cheered. "This sounds like an EXTREME challenge! I will proudly join!"

Hayato hissed at him from the side.

"The rules are simple. Protect Tsuna by whatever means necessary. A side goal is to be the last Guardian standing. Whoever is the last one able to protect Tsuna will become his right-hand man."

The horrified look on Hayato's face went unseen due to the more horrifying exclamation next to him.

"Oh!" Kyoko clapped excitedly. "This is just like when we were kids!"

Linked together by a common purpose (and Takeshi's arm) Tsuna and Takeshi took three quick steps away from her.

Reborn stared at her. He would need to look that up.

"Well, this is a surprise," a familiar voice commented. They all looked over at Lavina who was rolling her way into the park. Lambo was sitting in her lap eating an ice-cream cone.

"M-Ms. Lavina," Hayato stuttered, torn between the joy of seeing her and the horror that she might potentially see him fail at his greatest goal in life. He stared at his hands before his face settled into a look of stone-cold determination. He could not lose.

Tsuna didn't even bother to try to feel relieved or hopeful. Anyone else and he might have actually tried to ask for help but Aunt Lavina had very skewed understandings about what 'playing with your friends' meant. She would probably only be happy to know that Tsuna was hanging out with his friends 'normally' for once.

"Lavina-san," Reborn tipped his hat. "What a pleasant surprise."

Tsuna side-eyed him. 'Surprise' his ass.

"Aren't you all supposed to be in school?" she wondered, waving happily at Hayato to let him know she wasn't angry with him.

"They were doing simple reviews today," Reborn explained. "Something we do every day anyway. I thought it would benefit them to have more physical activity added to their day."

Lavina lifted Lambo up and set him down, handing him a napkin as he tried to drain the last melted remains of his ice-cream by putting the entire opening of the cone over his mouth and turning it into a suction cup. "You take such good care of the children, thank you Reborn."

"It's my job," Reborn said modestly.

Tsuna raised his face to the sun, eyes closed as he prayed for a stray meteor to strike him down then and there.

Takeshi laughed, jostling his shoulder's a bit.

"You look like you're praying Tsuna!"

"...I am."

Lavina looked around, absentmindedly twisting the ice-cream cone so it would pop off when Lambo started flailing his arms around helplessly. The cow-child gulped down as much air as he could before nearly smothering himself with the napkin and suffocating himself again. Lavina pulled it deftly out of his hands. "I don't see Kyoya-kun, is he not joining you? He loves these kinds of things."

Tsuna prayed a little harder.

"He had something to do," Reborn shrugged. "It doesn't matter, he has already passed his test."

"_What_?!" Hayato roared. "When?! _HOW_?!"

"It's time to begin," Reborn's gun clicked tellingly. "Lavina-san, would you mind keeping score?"

"What are you playing?" she wheeled herself up next to him. "Can Lambo-chan play?"

"Sure," Reborn said over Tsuna's 'NO!'. "They're doing the Guardian Test."

"Oh, how exciting!" Lavina clapped her hands in an uncomfortably close mimicry of Kyoko earlier. "Those were always so much fun! Good luck Hayato! Do your best Lambo-chan!"

"Lambo-san will destroy you all! Ahahahaha!" Lambo struck a pose, laughing maniacally.

It was like watching a car crash about to happen. Hayato had sticks of dynamite between his fingers, death in his eyes. Ryohei had lost his shirt, stretching his arms as he screamed to get his blood pumping. Kyoko was stretching, looking peaceful as always even with the fire burning in her eyes. Takeshi was… still laughing. Tsuna ducked out from under his arm before Hayato could make the taller teen his first target.

"L-let's all calm down a bit," he begged. "R-Remember, the main goal is to keep each other safe, right?"

"No, just the Boss. Feel free to kill each other."

"Reborn!"

"I'm sorry Tsuna," Hayato looked down in shame. His hand tightened around the dynamite. "But I have to win. I _will_ be your right-hand man."

"You have to win first," Takeshi teased, stepping closer to the trees (and, Tsuna noticed, further from Kyoko). "And I don't think anyone is really too keen on losing."

"I play to win," Kyoko sang, stretching her leg behind her until her toes brushed the back of her head.

Hayato blinked, staring at her strangely. "Are you-?"

"Start."

"Sneak attack!" Lambo threw a large handful of candy (which had been in his hair) at Hayato's face.

"Agh! You little-!"

"_Kyoko_," Ryohei sounded scandalized. "Fight fairly!"

"There's no rules stopping me this time Onii-san."

Tsuna yelped a bit when Takeshi dragged him back into the trees away from the group, out of the way of both the fighting and Reborn's immediate line of sight.

"Nice move!" Lavina cheered. "Selena used that one a lot. Make everyone fight amongst themselves and then sneak the Boss to a more secure location in all the confusion."

"What?!" Hayato whipped around, ripping Lambo off his face like velcro. "That baseball bastard, how dare he try to sneak his way to the top! Cow-brat, attach!"

Tsuna shrieked again when Lambo zoomed past him and smacked Takeshi right in the back of the head as they ran. He went down like a ton of bricks, laughing in sync with Lambo even as he choked on the small boy's afro.

Things got even _better_ (seriously, if that meteor could show up that would be great) when guns sprouted from the trees.

"Try to dodge, Tsuna," Reborn advised.

"Kyoko!" Ryohei kept stepping back from her warily. "How are we supposed to protect Tsuna from these extreme attacks when we are so far away!"

"Onii-san," Kyoko shook her head fondly, slowly cornering him against the stairs and the slide. "I trust everyone to keep Tsu-kun safe," she said confidently. "Until I can go take over for them."

"No!"

"Kill me," Tsuna begged the sky as the guns locked on to him.

"Sneak attack!"

"Ahhh!"

"I'm pretty sure we're supposed to protect Tsuna, not throw things on him, haha!"

"Tsunaaaa!"

"Kyokoooo!"

"Go Hayato! Go Lambo-chan! You can do it!"

"DO IT!" Tsuna screamed at the sky.

The sun twinkled cheerily, a light breeze twirling through the air as the sound of gunshots and screams echoed from the park.

-00-

"Kyoya," Nana folded her arms disapprovingly. It had taken her _fifteen minutes_ to get here. Kyoya didn't get out of school for another _two hours_.

(He was probably just sleeping.)

Kyoya looked up, chopsticks picking out the best parts of his fatty Tuna.

Tsuyoshi took one look at Nana's face and laughed, wiping off his hands and moving on to the next customer.

Nana slid into the booth, specially placed _for_ Kyoya in the corner away from everyone else and next to the door in case he wanted to leave quickly. She was still frowning at him. "What are you doing here?"

(Maybe he was in the bathroom!)

Kyoya raised one eyebrow, swallowing his food before answering. "You invited me."

"And as happy as I am that you actually came," Nana put a hand over her heart exaggeratedly, "I meant for you to meet me here _after_ school got out."

(He could be making food. He always got quiet when he was hungry.)

Nana broke for a second to smile up at Tsuyoshi when he set a plate of food in front of her. Kyoya nodded in thanks when he put more in front of him too.

"If you wanted me to come later then you should have arrived later."

Nana huffed. "I wanted to talk to Tsuyoshi and Aiko before we ate!"

(Maybe he had a headache and talking to her somehow made it worse.)

Kyoya smirked.

"God, you're just like your father," Nana bemoaned, picking up her own chopsticks. "What classes are you skipping right now?"

(Maybe he was gon-)

"History."

Nana nodded. "Okay, so you won't miss anything. Still, just because we're further ahead than your classmates doesn't mean you should just skip class all the time. Doesn't your teacher offer participation points?"

(Maybe he needed some time to himself.)

"No."

"Are there any disciplinarian actions taken if you miss class too many times?"

(Maybe he thought _she_ needed time to herself. He did that sometimes.)

Kyoya was getting into the habit of smiling more often. Not in a big way, thank god, but like a natural curve of the lips. Nana didn't know why because his words and actions were relatively the same, but it was kind of freaking her out. His smile looked like Natsuki's but his words were Kouske's. It was like if Natsuki was suddenly an asshole, or if Kouske was trying to fool people into thinking he was any kind of chill. Nana wasn't about that.

"As the leader of the Disciplinary Committee, I choose the consequences of all students who break school rules."

"Your own little dictatorship," Nana deadpanned. "I'm so proud."

(Had she insulted him somehow?)

They finished their meal in companionable silence (It was too quiet. The store was loud but it was too _quiet_). Aiko was absent for some reason but Tsuyoshi would tell them a fish pun whenever he was free, which Nana always appreciated. Still, it _was_ the busy hour so they were left pretty much to themselves. Nana almost wondered where Lavina was until she remembered what day it was and that she would be watching Lambo right about now.

"Alright," Nana stretched several moments later, patting her stomach happily. "Well, since we're done eating way earlier than I was planning how about we catch up on some stuff? How is your garden doing?"

(Was he upset that she said he was her best friend?)

"The vines need to be corrected often," Kyoya wiped his mouth with the corner of his napkin, his fancy-ass upbringing showing through. "The tea leaves are growing well."

Nana nodded. Normally it would take three years for tea leaves to grow to harvest, but the ones Kyoya had planted had been in Nana's garden for nearly two years so they just had to transfer them. Lavina was cool with it so long as they left some in Nana's garden for her to use, so the setup was golden. "We'll need to get some heaters and tarps to protect them before the weather starts changing. I was going to go by the store to get some for my strawberries, I think I can get a few more harvests out of them before it snows. Do you want to go with me? You've been around a lot of people today."

(Did he not want to be her friend at _all_?)

Nana looked around the store at the crowded tables plus the full booth at the front. Kyoya never did well in crowds, she was honestly surprised he seemed so at ease. It was another one of the main reasons she had wanted to meet up later, after the lunch rush.

(Was it him or her?)

"I'll go."

Nana pursed her lips. He _seemed_ okay. And he never actually did anything he didn't want to…

"Okay," she pulled out her wallet. "Let's get going then before school gets out."

(He had sounded _afraid. _Was he… was he _scared_ to be her friend?)

Kyoya waited for her outside while she paid. She was used to teenagers with blackholes for stomachs, but _damn_.

"So I was thinking," Nana said when they started walking. "I'm heading to Italy soon for a school reunion and I can't actually take you guys with me this time."

(He didn't have friends, she already knew that, but _why_ didn't he have friends?)

Kyoya glanced at her, eyes narrowed.

"I _would_ take you," Nana assured him, "if I really just didn't want any of my old classmates influencing you guys in any way. You're crazy enough as it is."

(Did it have to do with saving the world? Would having a friend jeapordize that?)

Kyoya rolled his eyes.

"Anyway," Nana waved her hand, "since I won't be here I've set up a schedule for you and I've bagged you some new teachers."

(A stagnant form. How long had he been alone?)

Kyoya scowled. "I do not need any more teachers."

"Aww," Nana threw her arm over his shoulder, walking on her tip-toes for a bit because of how much he had grown, and hugged him to her side. "I knew you loved me."

(Did _he_ have anyone he could tell everything to?)

Kyoya snorted. "No. I am better than whatever 'teacher' you would be able to find. It would be a waste of time."

Nana frowned. "Kyoya…"

(Snake…)

He wasn't pulling away. He wasn't even _acknowledging_ that she was touching him. But there were people on the streets around them. If she tried to ask him what was wrong now he would brush her off and probably wouldn't answer if she asked again later.

(Was he afraid to have her friendship only to have to force himself to reject it?)

Taking the golden- but worrying- opportunity while it lasted, she continued to side-hug him all the way to the Garden Store. It was a rare thing for him to accept her affection, if there wasn't a good way to find out _why_ yet then she would focus on the good side of things.

(What would make someone afraid to have a friend? Was he scared to have her friendship and then somehow lose it?)

When they reached the store he shrugged her off.

"How many heaters?"

"Depends. Let's grab the tarps first, those are easy. I want to teach you how to match types of heaters to plant types."

(Did he _know _something that would make her take it back?)

Kyoya didn't respond but she knew he had heard her. They each walked with a cart, piling the tarps into Nana's. She noticed Kyoya staring down random people as they went but that was normal. There were only a few customers so he would be fine.

(Would anything make her take it away?)

The various heaters got thrown in Kyoya's cart, the taller teen listening attentively as she explained what he needed to do. He was super chill today. Normally he would have tried to instigate a spar, ie. brutal murder, several times by now.

(He had told her Tsuna would be alive and happy. He may hide things, but he had never lied before.)

"Aaand we're set," Nana beamed, beginning the process of piling all the bags onto her arms after they checked-out. Kyoya apparently took that as a challenge to see who could hold the most. "Now we just have to set them up."

(A lot of things could happen before that happy ending.)

"Do it now."

"Would a please kill you?"

(Did he think that one of those 'things' would make her change her mind?)

Kyoya blinked at her, expression unchanging.

Nana rolled her eyes. "Fine, we can do it now. Was gonna do it anyway you know."

(Did he think it would make her hate him?)

As they walked Nana looked up at the sky. Her face shuttered, going blank, as she watched the clouds roll by.

"That herbivore," Kyoya suddenly growled, sounding vicious in a way Nana rarely heard.

"Who?" she looked forward again. (_Could_ she even hate him any-) "Tsuna!"

Far down the street, where the bridge was to cross the river, a girl fell off the side. Half a second later Tsuna, roaring loud enough that they could hear him all the way from there, dove after her.

Nana dropped her bags, rushing to the bridge. Her skin sparked as she skidded to a stop along the grass.

Tsuna was already swimming towards the bank, the girl's arm slung over his shoulder.

Nana stared at the brilliant Flame on Tsuna's head as he barreled onto the grass at an unnatural speed, screaming the entire way.

The Flame flickered before disappearing. Tsuna slumped forwards, letting the girl (who was wearing armor?) lay down.

"A-are you okay?" he looked at her, wide brown eyes filled with worry.

"Tsuna!" Nana rushed to his side, glancing him over to make sure he wasn't hurt. It was easy to do, since he was only in his boxers (...why). Besides a large portion of his body being covered in paint (_why)_ he seemed fine. Nana turned to the girl.

"Mom?!" Tsuna leaned forward to help. "What are you doing here?"

"I was going shopping with Kyoya and we saw the girl fall off the bridge and you jump after her," Nana explained, smiling comfortingly at the wide eyes staring up at her. "Are you okay dear? Did you hit your head at all?"

She shook her head, now looking at Tsuna.

"Tsuna!" Hayato came barreling down the stairs to the river bank, also covered head to toe in paint. He must have been nearby. Letting the silverette take care of her son for now Nana focused on the girl. Once she was down to a t-shirt and a pair of sweats Nana slipped off her shoes and socks to dry.

"Here," Reborn landed on Nana's shoulder, tossing a towel to the two soaking teens.

Nana wished she was surprised by the sudden appearance of the toddler (and by his remarkable balance) but it happened far too often to be anything other than exasperated.

"Reborn, what's going on?"

"They were having a duel," he smirked. "Haru fell off the bridge and Tsuna used his dying will to save her."

"I'm assuming that means you _shot _him," Nana grumbled, low enough that only Reborn could hear her. After that day with Kyoko, she had gotten the rundown from Snake on how Reborn's 'awakening' process worked. "Isn't there any other way to help him 'use his dying will' other than a fricken bullet.

"Not right now," he patted Leon, smiling.

Nana sighed. At least that meant there would probably be a different way in the future. Hopefully it wouldn't be as bad as a bullet to the head. Knowing Reborn it would probably be something like drugs.

"Thank you very much…" the girl suddenly whispered, curled up in a ball with the towel over her head.

"Tch," Hayato clicked his tongue. "Have you even thought about your actions? If anything had happened to Tsuna you wouldn't exist in this world anymore."

The fuck?

Nana looked up at Hayato with a bewildered expression.

"Pft."

Hayato looked _pissed_ when the girl laughed.

Suddenly she jumped up, swinging her arms around. "I'll save Haru as if I were to die!" she screamed, miming a dive into the water. Then she pinwheeled her arms like crazy. "Hold on to me!"

Judging by the horrified, firetruck red grimace on Tsuna's face (and the escalating rage on Hayato's) Nana could take a pretty good guess about where those lines were coming from.

"I thought cheesy lines like that were only on TV," she giggled before continuing with a grin so wide her cheeks were turning red. "Swim to the other bank!"

"S-stop that!" Tsuna shrieked, fingers curling into the towel around his shoulders. "It's embarrassing!"

"It was…" she suddenly stepped in front of him, looking up at him in awe, "very wonderful. That you jumped in the place of Reborn-chan."

'_Like Reborn would have ever tried,' _Nana and Tsuna thought sarcastically.

"My heart is pounding," she confessed, holding her hands over her chest.

"Oh~?" Nana perked up.

"What?!" Tsuna stepped back, stunned.

"Yes," she nodded firmly. "Haru can definitely say that she has fallen in love with Tsuna-san."

"First name basis already, huh?" Nana placed a hand on her chin, grinning. She had no idea what the fuck was going on, but when did she ever? This was a rare opportunity. She needed to make the best of it.

"No!" Tsuna looked at her, paling. "I thought you liked Reborn!"

Nana paused. That sounded… hmm.

"But I feel like being hugged by you, Tsuna-san," Haru admitted, holding her arms out.

'_Damn, she's forward as heck,'_ Nana watched, both impressed and shocked as the girl chased her son around for a hug.

"_You_," a sinister voice hissed from behind Nana.

"Oh no," Tsuna looked ready to break down and cry. "Kyo-kun, wait a second! I told you she's not-!"

"You!" Haru pointed up at the much taller, much scarier teen.

Nana pulled her arm down quickly because _holy shit_ you did not just _point_ blatantly at a _Hibari_ unless you were prepared to die.

Kyoya was at the top of the little hill leading down to the river bank, bags upon bags layered on his arms. He looked furious.

"I challenge you too! Tsuna-san has proven to be a wonderful, handsome hero, but _you_ hit me!"

"Kyoya," Nana looked up at him in disapproval. "Why did you hit her?"

"Mom," Tsuna edged between Haru and Kyoya, praying the other teen stayed where he was and didn't try to fight. "Kyo-kun thought Haru was bullying me, which she _wasn't_, and he was just trying to help."

"Oh," Nana said. "Thank you Kyoya, that was very kind of you then. But if Tsuna says it was a misunderstanding then you need to let it go."

"I misunderstood _nothing_."

Haru leaned around Tsuna, still blushing, but raising a fist towards Kyoya. "I have to prepare my armor again, but when I do I _will _challenge you!"

Both Nana and Tsuna stared at her, mouths open. Who the _fuck_ challenged _Kyoya_?! Did she have any idea what she was saying?!

"Uh, Mom?" Tsuna waved his hands a bit.

"Yeah," she nodded. "It's time to go. Tsu-kun, Hayato, why don't you help Kyoya get all our things back home and I'll drop off, uh, you said your name was Haru sweetie?"

"Yes, Tsuna-san's mom!" she saluted, grinning.

Nana snorted, sending Tsuna a sneaky look. Tsuna grumbled, ducking his head and running up the hill.

"Just call me Nana. I'll walk you home, okay? Your shoes should be dry enough to make it there at least."

"Yes Nana-sama!"

...Okay then.

"Kyoya!" Nana called up to him, rolling her eyes when she saw him glaring Hayato down when the silver-haired boy tried to take one of the bags. Silver eyes looked down at her before focusing on Haru like a bird of prey. "Can you measure out and tape up the tarps for my strawberries while I'm gone? We can get started on the heaters as soon as I get back."

Kyoya only looked away to give Tsuna a warning look when he also tried to take a bag. Tsuna backed off easily, shrugging his shirt on (were those holes in his shirt? Nana would have to look at that later, she was too far to see.).

Kyoya nodded once, shortly, before turning on his heel to walk away.

...Thank god he didn't try to kill this girl.

"Are you okay to walk Haru-chan?"

"Of course!" the girl saluted. She paused, looking down at her armor. "Um, I have a bag at home for all of this."

"It's impressive you managed to move at all with all this on," Nana admitted, looking from the girl's thin arms to the- was this fricken samurai armor?

"I'm stronger than I look!" she flexed. True enough, the tensing of her arm muscles made her suddenly much more defined arms pop out.

"Damn, good for you!"

Haru was red from her nose to her ears as she beamed. "Thank you! You and Tsuna-san are very similar!"

Nana smiled back. "Thanks. Don't worry about all of this, okay? I'll grab it all on the way home and drop it off tomorrow. You need to warm up and go to bed early okay?"

"You'd… do that? For me?"

"Of course," Nana pushed at her shoulders gently to get her moving. "Now, lead the way. The sun is starting to set and I don't want you out here when it starts to get cold."

"Y-yes Nana-sama!"

"What a cute girl," Nana laughed softly to herself as Haru practically marched ahead of her.

She froze for a second, waiting for an answer that wouldn't come.

The walk to Haru's house seemed a lot colder all of a sudden. Seemed the sun was setting earlier than she thought.

-00-

It was two in the morning.

The day had been long. Training, meeting up with Kyoya, seeing their son jump off a bridge to save a girl, walking said girl home then lugging her absurdly complicated samurai suit home to dry, having a lesson with Kyoya, trying to scrub off all the paint that had turned Lambo into a multi-colored alien without turning his skin red and raw while also trying to weasel out of him exactly _how_ the paint got there in the first place, calling out tips to Tsuna and Hayato who were doing the same to themselves in the bathroom, making dinner (and then bribing Reborn to help because everyone else was too tired to get anything done right including Nana apparently), almost losing track of which meds were Lavina's new ones (cleaning out the medicine cabinet was number one on the list of things to do tomorrow), and then singing no less than three songs paired with two books to get Lambo to sleep when the overtired boy began crying tears of frustration from being awake for so long. It was a _long _day and, at two in the morning, Nana still couldn't sleep.

Fuck.

What did they even care? So what if Snake wasn't talking to them, that was what they had been wishing for over the entirety of their second life! Some god damn peace and quiet was long since overdue, they should be elated right now!

…

Ugh.

Okay. So clearly telling themself that they didn't care was doing absolutely nothing to make that a reality. Seriously, what was going on with Snake? This was super out of character for him and it was seriously freaking Nana out. And it _shouldn't_ be because it was _Snake_, but for some reason it _was_. They couldn't even find it in themselves to be legitimately angry with him for ducking out because...

Realizing Snake was like their best friend had freaked them out too.

Nana closed their eyes, breathing deeply so they could actually _focus_ their thoughts instead of letting them run rampant.

What did they even really know about Snake at this point? They'd gathered pieces of the insane, billion-piece puzzle that was the voice in their head over the years but Nana had yet to actually piece together anything concrete.

Nana groaned, pressing their palms flat against their eyes.

Facts first.

1\. Snake was an asshole.

He made huge ass mistakes, and while they were apparently for the sake of the entire world they were still fucked up. Whether they understood the reasoning or not (Nana was still kind of iffy about it) Nana would never not think that was wrong.

2\. Snake was a different kind of asshole now.

Nana had stayed veritably the same since day one, so the hatred they felt for him only changed because _he_ had. As a 'child' Snake had been creating a walled-in path for Nana to follow, using the fate of billions of people to keep them walking the direction he wanted them to. Now it was like Nana was standing in an open field, free to walk whatever direction they chose, and Snake was just a map that pointed out useful landmarks and towns they could stop at if they wanted. There was still the final destination to head towards, but the path to get there was completely up to Nana to create.

3\. Snake was cryptic in all the bad ways.

He had said the power of future knowledge was dangerous without the pain of using it. He had said that if that pain dulled you would come to abuse it. Make mistakes that could never be undone. He had said, "_If the pain fades, you lose what made you strong enough to handle that knowledge in the first place." _He hadn't been talking about Nana.

4\. Snake was alone.

Not just lonely, Nana had known that from the start. It was easy to tell when he was always there. No, he was _alone_. He had no family, no friends. His extreme hesitation over a penpal meant no acquaintances either. Nana had at first thought that impossible. In order to live you had to interact with someone. To buy food, to get water, to live in a home that wasn't falling apart. Snake had a physical form. Nana knew he needed certain things to live if he had a real body.

'_My form is stagnant,'_ he had said. Unchanging. Did he… did he _need_ to eat? To drink? Nana knew he _could,_ they had heard him. Gotten mad at him when he did it during certain moments. But did he need to? And, now that they thought about it, had he _always_ eaten or drank anything? The first time they could remember was that day at the foot of The Mountain when they had been first trying to unlock their Flames. In Nana's childhood, had there ever been a moment where they could tell if he was eating something?

Nana couldn't remember. And the more they tried, the more fearful they were of the answer. Because if that was somehow possible, if he really didn't need to eat or drink to keep himself alive, then wasn't it completely possible that he had spent years (decades) in one singular place without leaving? Not once?

5\. Snake was older than Nana had first thought.

This was something that became abundantly clear during the first ten years of their new life. Snake sounded like a young man. It was hard to pin age purely based on a voice, but he had sounded young. Nana wondered if Snake would ever realize that sending Nana to Boarding School gave them tools to use against him as well. They had _trained_ to notice discrepancies in voices. To get as much information as you could out of something as simple as a greeting. It wasn't a trusted scientific method, no, and a lot of error was to be expected. But they had worked to pinpoint weaknesses from short, brief meetings. Nana had known Snake for thirty-four years, and in all that time his voice never changed. If he had been at least twenty-years-old when Nana was born then he would be fifty now. There would have been a change, even a minor one. Either the voice he spoke with wasn't his real one or 'my form is stagnant' was as literal as it could get.

When he would tell Nana about places to visit for lessons or just for fun he would sometimes mention facts or discoveries that hadn't been officially documented yet. He knew things about past civilizations that the modern-day world had yet to discover. Nana could play that off as him having future knowledge and being a super big nerd, but the way he would talk about them sometimes, like he had _been_ there…

6\. Snake _had_ to lie.

Nana gave him shit for this. Nana had called him out for this before. Nana also lied to Tsuna, Lavina, and everyone they knew sometimes. Because it was safer that way. Because saying certain things might mean destroying something in the future that could lead to people being hurt or… killed. Nana knew this might blow up in their face and, knowing what was at stake, accepted those consequences come hell or high water.

Snake knew _everything_ that was going to happen (or at least, that was the impression Nana got) and so he probably knew that talking about certain things would definitely fuck up something important along the way. So Nana got it, he had to lie every once in a while. He was trying not to and would simply admit to omitting certain details but Nana was sure there were going to be times he needed to lie directly to their face. It would piss them off when they found out later, for sure, and they would absolutely hold it against him but they got it. Nana also got how much that kind of thing hurt. To have to hold those secrets in your heart where no one could see, even if all you wanted to do was shout it to the mountains. To know that in order to protect someone you might lose them, and that was scary. It was why they still wished, with all of their heart, for Iemitsu to be safe and happy.

7\. Snake was... was _scared_ of Nana?

Not in the 'fear for the future, the world is going to end' sort of way he had sometimes (they knew that one when they heard it), but in the 'I can be hurt now' way. Oh shit, that made sense. When Nana learned about Reborn, his true intentions, they had been _pissed_. Furious in a way they hadn't been in years. Nana ignored him and all his attempts to reach out but in the end, even without his apology, they would have eventually understood why he did it. They wouldn't have completely forgiven, but Nana would have understood. Snake had the world on his shoulders, he was going to make choices they weren't going to like. Sure, Nana would have been more hesitant to trust him, but they would have gotten over it.

Then Snake _had _apologized, which threw them for a loop. When they demanded why he cared, because he certainly had not before, he said "_I care now."_ And Nana believed him. He _did_ care and it was easy to see. Worryingly easy. Nana had admitted to how concerning it was that Lambo had attached to them so quickly, but they had kept quiet about similar observations they had made about Snake.

The very first time Snake had asked Nana a question, after years of simply _telling_ them things they needed to do or know, Nana answered without thinking. It was about food, of all things, and how weird it tasted. That was how it started. How he began to change. Suddenly he was _asking_ all the time. He wanted to have actual conversations instead of one-sided lectures and in the span of just a few years, his personality had done a complete 180. He was still monotone as fuck, and a sassy asshole to his core, but it was like his heart had cracked open for Nana to see. And Nana didn't think he realized it.

Snake cared. And that was scary. It meant Nana could hurt him. With everything he knew, it meant Nana probably _would_ hurt him. Nana being angry with him suddenly came with all these consequences he didn't want, and Nana wondered if today was the very first time he realized exactly how much he had let show. Maybe he was freaking out about how much he cared about Nana the same way Nana had been freaking out about caring for him.

But Nana had Tsuna. They had her friends and family. They had people to fill the silence and when they were alone they could make the active choice to seek those people out. Snake had no one, and Nana was afraid to know exactly how long that had been a fact.

8\. Snake was a good person

He was a fucking idiot who made choices that made him seem cruel and heartless sometimes, but he was a good person at his core. Nana didn't know the specifics of how the world was going to be saved, or even why it needed to be in the first place (they doubted Snake would tell them before it happened) but they knew that that was what Snake cared about above all else. Every single thing he did, and every choice he made was towards that end. Nana had never heard him make a choice involving himself that was aimed at anything other than that goal. He encouraged Nana now to make choices and explore, to see the world and have a good life, but that never seemed to reflect on himself. He reincarnated Nana to help Tsuna, the pivotal person in saving everything. He trained and taught Nana, to help Tsuna. He guided Nana towards certain people and events, to help Tsuna. He would go along with Nana's ideas and plans, but whenever he offered up any of his own it was with the intention of building Tsuna up even more. The only times he had broken from that pattern were…

When he helped Nana. In ways outside of Tsuna. There weren't a lot, Nana's life was so intertwined with Tsuna's that they didn't even _realize_ that there were times he didn't have to help Nana and he did anyway. Or when he tried to help _Lavina. _Like when Nana had wondered if anyone knew what her illness was and Snake didn't answer that particular question until _three days later_ by saying he had no idea. Three days. He had been _researching _it. Lavina would have died fourteen years ago, Nana knew that in a spine-chilling way, if it hadn't been for Snake helping them. He would sometimes tell Nana to check in with the other kids to make sure nothing was going on with them that they needed help with. Cruel, heartless bastards didn't _do that_. They didn't dedicate every piece of themselves to _saving_ the world when (and gods did Nana pray this wasn't true and that they were simply overthinking) they had nothing in the world.

9\. Snake was, in a way that made Nana more and more horrified as they thought about it, confined in a way far worse than they could even imagine.

Nana had been gathering the pieces of Snakes puzzle for _years_. Silently tucking them away for further thought. Most of them had been handed to Nana by Snake himself. Little comments about things he enjoyed, expressions of emotion towards certain events be they good or bad, and with ever-increasing frequency he would show actual emotional vulnerabilities that he trusted Nana to see. Those had never been anything huge, more like small things such as not being able to cry anymore, or never dreaming. Simple facts, about _himself_, that he never would have offered before. They came together to create a fraction of the puzzle, just enough to show a man who was a little bit damaged, but still living.

Then there were the pieces Nana had gathered from his silences. From the words he _didn't_ say. Hidden, buried pieces that Snake was not even aware had been found. Those were the most telling, and they were the ones that scared Nana the most. This last day alone had given them enough to form a vague, blurry picture. And they did not like what they were seeing.

Nana breathed shakily into their hands. This was… this was a lot. Putting everything into coherent thoughts was… a lot. But this was _important_. Holy shit, they had never realized how deeply this ran. And they couldn't just ignore it. They couldn't just push this all to the side and focus everything on just Tsuna, and Lambo, and their friends. They couldn't go back to ignoring Snake because… because...

10\. Nana loved Snake

That wasn't something they could pretend to ignore anymore. They had been through too much and been together too long for Nana to be able to feign anything other than genuine care. Snake wasn't just that asshole in the back of their head anymore. He wasn't someone they hated and cursed, because he wasn't that person anymore. Honestly, he'd probably _never _been that person. Not really. Nana didn't know who he was before and what turned him into that bitch of a life dictator they had first met, but they knew him now. He was a cooking nerd who used Nana as a guinea pig before making anything himself (and didn't that just prove that _before_ he never really ate well if at all?). He _loved_ nature and still found beauty in every sunrise and sunset. He was a huge fucking nerd freaked out over the slight _possibility_ of someone being interested in something he knew. He was smart, and funny (which Nana refused to admit even upon pains of _death_), and caring in a way that took Nana a long time to see. For fucks sake, he told Nana stories all the damn time to help them get to sleep. He was Nana's _friend_ and Nana-

Nana had no fucking idea how to help him. Nothing, besides doing what they were already doing. Talking to him, making shitty jokes, showing that even if they didn't fully trust him to make decisions Nana agreed with they still _trusted_ him.

It was, in comparison to everything else, pretty much nothing.

But it _was_ better than nothing. More than what Nana was starting to suspect Snake ever really had.

So for now, it was going to have to be good enough.

**-00-**

**I can finally admit to the world, with no hesitation, that I heckin love Snake. A lot. Let Snake be loved!**

**Also, god damn I forgot how long the Daily Life Arc is. And I can't skim over a lot of it because it is the flippin building blocks of so much crap! I'm looking through it all like "oh, gotta keep I-Pin... and Dino... and frickin SHOICHI... crap. Gotta keep all of it." So much! All good, of course, but I am ready for the action! **  
**Which is why I have Italy coming up soon. Yessss.**  
**I hope you all liked this one!**

**ChaosHearth: Thanks! But, uh, the link still isn't working T-T Sorry for being a pain, I don't know why it's not working out. Is there any other way for me to access it? I'd hate to mess something up for your character.**

**Entranced by you: *shoving hotpockets at you* ...I wonder why XD**

**Anya: Welp... you're extremely sweet and nice. Thank you! I will definitely be writing more for them, they're flipping adorable! Like you!**

**Tsuki Banritt: Thank YOU!**

**mikanMD: I know right XD Glad you liked it!**

**ADDBaby: The amount of energy in your review kick-started my own energy levels to get through a whole night of work! Thank you! You're super nice!**

**katsekala: Don't even worry about it, I totally get it (looks nervously at calendar and last update date). We can be zombies together! And thank you! Nana loves and adores you too! Have a great day, I hope work stops trying to kick you butt!**


	22. Growing Up

**Let's add a sprinkle of action, shall we?**

**Tsuna drops some eaves**

**Nana worries**

**Bianchi loves her brother and hates Romeo**

**Lambo loves Nana, always**

**Fighting in a Sushi Shop is ill-advised**

**Tsuna and dogs do not mix**

**Kyoya is growing up**

**Someone call a doctor**

**-00-**

Growing Up

**-00-**

"Wake up Tsuna."

"Hieee!"

Tsuna rolled out of bed as fast as he could, covering his head as he screamed. Several, eerily quiet seconds followed. Blinking quickly he lifted his head.

Reborn stood at the foot of his bed, a large hammer in hand.

"Well done Tsuna," he praised. "Any slower and you would have died."

"I hate this," Tsuna cried under his breath. Pushing himself into a sitting position he squinted at his clock. It was seven in the morning. "Why did you even wake me up this early? It's Saturday, you usually let me sleep until eight at least."

He only went running with Dad on weekdays now (after he almost passed out last time). Dad told him to treasure his free days so that's what he planned on doing.

"Your subordinates are coming over to do homework."

Tsuna scowled. "Not until three! And they're my _friends_, not my subordinates."

"The early bird gets the worm Tsuna," Reborn tucked the oversized hammer away in his jacket, which was only one of the many points in the long list of bizarre things Reborn had done that made no logical sense.

"The alligator."

Reborn stared at him.

"The early bird gets the alligator," Tsuna elaborated. "That's what Dad says. He says if you're getting up early then it's not going to be for something like a worm. It's going to be for the biggest catch of your life. Otherwise, what's the point of waking up early when you could sleep."

Tsuna was starting to get better at reading Reborn. The toddler still seemed like the emotionless face of death most of the time but the way he closed his eyes for an extra second longer than usual reminded Tsuna of Hibari-san when he thought Dad was being weird.

"Just because you are not running with Nana does not mean you get to skip out on your mornings entirely. It is good to get into healthy habits."

Tsuna squinted at him now. "You said that habits lead to weakness and death."

"They do," Reborn sounded smug. "Now get dressed."

Tsuna sighed heavily before standing. It was useless to argue.

Ten minutes later he was walking down the stairs as quietly as he could. Dad was out of the house by now but everyone else was probably asleep.

Or at least, he had thought so. Shouto was at the sink rinsing out a bowl and Michelle was leaning against the counter next to him.

"-hear they are looking for you," Michelle was saying calmly, stirring in some creamer for her coffee.

Tsuna froze, foot halfway off the ground when Shouto glared at her.

The soft, lazy look he carried around him melted into sharp knives and a threatening cold. The usual gently flickering haze of red Tsuna often saw roared to life, turning a dark maroon. When it brushed the slow, consistent blue of Michelle's colors Tsuna half expected her to recoil but she just kept stirring her coffee.

"Did you tell them?" Shouto asked, calm but with an undercurrent of- of _something_ that made goosebumps race across Tsuna's skin. He set the bowl to the side with a deceptively soft clink.

"No," Michelle tapped her spoon to get rid of the extra drops, setting it in the sink. She inhaled the warm fragrance, smiling in a pleased little way. "I don't need to. They'll find you either way."

Shouto exhaled, the long sigh stripping away the darkness behind him, leaving only tension and an exhaustion Tsuna hadn't seen since his first few days in Namimori.

Now Michelle frowned. She reached out, laying a hand delicately on his shoulder. "Your concern is appropriate for the situation you are in, but keeping everyone in the dark will only leave you defenseless."

Tsuna watched, fascinated, as her blue surrounded him like a shroud from where she had touched, gently pressing until the burning red was at its usual wisping state.

Shouto glanced at her, the tension in his shoulders dropping. "...Thank you, Michelle."

Michelle hummed, a little displeased sound as though it had started raining on a walk home from work. "Keep in mind that while your plans work out in the end, the consequences are not always what those around you would consider worth the risk."

"I know," Shouto bowed his head a bit, shaking it and then straightening. "That's why we're here."

Michelle rolled her eyes in the strongest show of irritation Tsuna had ever seen from her. "I meant the consequences that affect _you_. Your Famiglia always knows what they are getting into, it is _your _path that worries them."

Shouto laughed, small and breathy. "...Yeah. They're good people."

Tsuna gapped, mouth wide. _Shouto-san_ was part of the mafia too?! That meant Ryu-san was…

"As are you," Michelle patted his shoulder twice before returning to her drink. "Oh, and you are going to be late for your 'surprise' date."

Shouto's head whipped to the side where the kitchen clock was. He grabbed his jacket off the back of one of the dining table chairs, swooping down to place a kiss on Michelle's cheek. She returned it, smiling pleasantly, and then he was out the back door and hopping over the fences like an Olympic gymnast.

Michelle took another long sip of her coffee. "You can come in now Sawada-kun."

Tsuna jumped, letting out a tiny shriek. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I-"

Michelle smiled at him. "We weren't being very subtle, don't worry about it. You didn't hear anything bothersome anyway."

"O-okay," he said, not really agreeing. "Is everything… okay?"

Michelle hummed. Looking out the window she closed her eyes to bask in the warmth of the sun as it rose. Tsuna blinked, squinting. Sometimes random darker spots of blue would appear around Michelle, but the way the light was reflecting off her it almost made them look… purple. "I'm sure it will be."

Well, _that_ filled him with confidence.

A harsh alarm, like a foghorn, sounded from the phone resting on the table. Tsuna shrieked a bit, jumping at the sudden sound.

Michelle tapped the screen lightly, silencing it. Finishing off her coffee she peacefully moved the empty cup to the sink.

"W-what was that?" Tsuna wondered.

"I have a meeting to get to," Michelle smiled at him, quickly washing out her cup. "Have a nice morning Sawada-kun."

"J-just Tsuna is fine," he tried for about the hundredth time.

"Of course, Sawada-kun. Good-bye."

Tsuna watched her go with a deadpan expression. She really didn't _have_ to go the same way Shouto-san had. Hopefully, none of their neighbors noticed the two strangers running through their backyards.

"Cry-baby Tsuna?" A small hand curled into the bottoms of his pants.

Tsuna sighed at the nickname, smiling down at Lambo. He was rubbing his eyes tiredly, cow-print pajamas askew. His usual chaotic green was wavering weakly, muted by his sleepiness. "Good morning Lambo."

Lambo yawned widely. "Breakfast?"

"Sure. Eggs and toast?" If luck was on his side for once that would be enough. It was the only thing Tsuna could really cook with a %50 success rate since Shouto-san had clearly eaten all the cereal.

Lambo nodded and went to climb into his chair, falling asleep again as soon as he was seated.

"Okay," Tsuna said to himself. He could do this. The toaster was already pre-set, he just had to put in the bread and hit the button.

The eggs…

It would be fine.

-00-

"So," Nana started, touching his head to his knee as he slid into the splits, "I heard you've been setting up a different patrol thing for your Disciplinary Committee?"

Kyoya, mimicking his pose, grunted. "It was weak."

They were stretching in the backyard of the Hibari home, cooling down from their morning hike/spar/murder attempt.

"I thought it was pretty good already," Nana disagreed. "I mean, it's already impressive that _students_ are doing safety patrols around town, but that they actually keep all the crime down is a whole new level of badass. What made you think it was weak?"

Kyoya rolled his eyes, wrapping his hands around his foot. "There were too many holes. Rats have been slipping in."

Nana wasn't sure if he should feel worried yet. "Like, actual rats or people rats?"

Even if Kyoya looked at him like an idiot Nana believed the question was still valid. Kyoya hated rats, he didn't doubt the teen would do _something_ if there was a sudden increase of them.

"You're not answering my question," he switched to his other leg.

"It was a stupid question."

Nana rolled his eyes. "Fine. How's Tetsu-kun?"

Kyoya's eyes darted to the treeline.

Nana shot to his feet. "Is he _here_?! Tetsu-kun! Stop hiding and come join us!"

A moment passed before Kusakabe Tetsuya walked stiff-backed towards them from where he had been behind one of the trees.

"What were you doing over there?" Nana tilted his head.

"My job is to keep Hibari-sama safe and to always be readily available," Tetsuya said, stopping a few feet away from them.

Nana had many questions about the Kusakabe family. Who the rest of Tetsuya's family was, for one. Natsuki had said they were some kind of distant cousin that owed them their loyalty (what was this, olden times?) but Nana hadn't met either of his parents. Even though they apparently knew Nana. Natsuki told him that Tetsu's father was usually around her and that his mother was around Kouske but Nana had never actually met, or even _seen_, them. Ever. Hell, he only met Tetsuya three years ago.

It was a little unnerving. Where they ninjas or something?

"Did you need me for something Nana-sama?" Tetsu pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah," Nana nodded. "Come join our stretches. You must have climbed The Mountain too right?"

"I… did," Tetsuya hesitated, glancing at Kyoya. "But I must refuse Nana-sama. This is a time reserved for you and Hibari-sama."

Nana smiled fondly, if a little exasperated. "You won't be getting in the way. Right Kyoya?"

Kyoya didn't deign to reply, leaning back and stretching his body into the bridge position.

"See?" Nana grinned, turning so that when he made a bridge with his back as well he was still facing Tetsuya. "He doesn't care. Do you stretch a lot Tetsu-kun? You don't have to follow everything we do. If anything starts to hurt don't push yourself."

Tetsuya looked from Nana to Kyoya a few times.

Kyoya glanced at him again, nodding.

"Thank you Nana-sama," Tetsuya smiled a bit, matching their poses perfectly. Nana blinked at the fluidity of his movements. "I will be fine. I stretch every day."

"Good for you!" Nana praised. "You've got to have a lot of strong self-motivation to be able to keep up with that."

Tetsuya seemed a little surprised by the sudden compliment. "Thank you Nana-sama. It is simply something I must do in order to keep up with Hibari-sama."

Nana smiled, even happier. "I'm glad Kyoya's got a friend like you."

Tetsuya's lips twitched, his ears a tinge red. The smile died a little when Kyoya scoffed, rising to his feet and turning to leave.

"Kyoya?" Nana frowned. "Where are you going?"

"Patrol," he said shortly, throwing on the jacket he had discarded earlier as well as his tonfas.

Tetsu got up quickly, bowing deeply to Nana before following.

Nana stayed where he was, frowning. Something was wrong with Kyoya. He'd been acting… off, for a while now. Nana had been giving him more self-regulated lessons lately, alongside their usual sparring sessions, so he hadn't been around often enough to place when exactly the change had started but it was worrying.

Kyoya wasn't like Tsuna. When Tsuna was upset Nana could usually at least tell that he was feeling down, even if he couldn't always place the cause right away. So long as Nana approached his son openly and honestly nine times out of ten Tsuna would open up to him. With Kyoya…

Kyoya fought his problems away. Literally. He placed his emotions in his fists (or tonfas) and took them out on the most readily available opponent. And that seemed to work for him, so Nana wasn't going to put a stop to that unless his opponent ended up being someone that really didn't deserve the ire of a Hibari. But it couldn't work for all of his problems and it clearly wasn't working for whatever this one was. Even Kouske had to talk through his problems sometimes, but he had Natsuki at his side to support him whenever he needed it. Kyoya didn't have a Natsuki. He had his parents, his friends (even though he refused to call them that), and Nana but he didn't have anyone he felt comfortable talking to about his emotions and that made moments like this all the more worrying. Emotions were confusing, _especially_ for people who liked to pretend they didn't have any and even more so for teenagers, so there was a good chance that even Kyoya didn't understand what he was feeling right now. If he couldn't find a way to process what he was feeling, pinpoint the problem, and thus know how to start handling it then it would only continue to build.

"Do you-" Nana froze, mouth open. His heart clenched. Shaking his head harshly he stood up and started slipping his shoes back on.

Today, after lunch, he needed to talk to Natsuki and Kouske.

-00-

"What is that _smell_?" Hayato gagged a bit, lifting his shirt to cover his nose when he walked into the kitchen.

Tsuna sobbed a little harder.

"Tsuna?! What's wrong? What happen- what the _fuck_ is _that_?!"

Tsuna looked down at the horrible black sludge monstrosity sitting in the skillet. "They're… scrambled eggs."

Hayato couldn't quite help the horrified expression that crossed his face. Tsuna's shoulders slumped.

"Those are… really? They look- great! They look… really good Tsuna," Hayato beamed, giving him a thumbs up.

Why were his friends so nice? It was clear how disgusted the other teen was from the way his nose was scrunching and it looked like he was starting to sweat a bit.

"You don't have to lie," he sighed heavily. "I don't know how they turned out like this. I went to check on Lambo for one second and they caught on fire somehow but when I tried to put it out I only made it worse."

"I'm sure they still taste fine-"

"NO," Tsuna threw the entire pan into the trash without a second thought.

"Why would you throw that away?" Bianchi appeared at her brother's shoulder, looking genuinely disappointed. "It was such a pure creation."

The way Hayato's eyes rolled into the back of his head before he passed out showed exactly how he felt about the 'pureness' of Tsuna's cooking.

"Hayato!" Tsuna rushed over. "He's been passing out so much lately…"

He didn't have the same thing Aunt Lavina did, did he? The thought made his stomach clench.

"This is normal," Bianchi assured him, holding the tall teen easily against her side as she brushed his hair out of his face fondly. "Hayato has always been a little frail, ever since he was young."

Frail? Hayato? That didn't sound right, he was one of the strongest people Tsuna knew.

"...I feel like I should know that?" Tsuna tilted his head.

Bianchi reached out, patting Tsuna's hair now. "Hayato is always strongest when he's around you."

Tsuna suddenly couldn't meet her eyes, his face heating up. That wasn't really something people just openly stated.

"Hayato's always strong," he said instead, trying to turn the attention away from himself as fast as possible.

Bianchi smiled. "I'm going to go put him in his room so he can rest. Don't throw away your food next time Tsuna-kun, I would like to test it."

"Uh," Tsuna sweat-dropped, side-eyeing the trashcan. "Sure."

Bianchi nodded. "Alright. I'm going to be sunbathing if you need me."

Tsuna blinked. "...What?"

"It's almost fall. I want to appreciate the warmth while it's here."

"Okay?"

Was she going to the pool or something? It was kind of far...

Bianchi threw Hayato over her shoulders like a sack of flour. Tsuna's eyes went wide. He had not realized she was that strong.

"Tsunaaaa," Lambo suddenly whined from the table. "Lambo-san is hungry!"

"Agh," Tsuna stumbled over his own feet to the fridge. "I know, I'm sorry Lambo. Do you want, uh, a sandwich?"

That didn't involve the stove at all! That would work.

"Pancakes!" Lambo demanded, eyes sparkling.

Tsuna shrunk. "I don't think I can make those…"

"A Boss who never tries is a Boss that dies Tsuna." Reborn was there by the stove, because of course he was. How someone as brilliantly yellow as Reborn could sneak into a room without anyone noticing was beyond Tsuna, but nothing really made sense when it came to the hitman.

"Reborn!" Lambo jumped up, grinning from ear to ear. Tsuna flinched away, shielding his eyes when his already erratic green sparked an even brighter shade.

"This time, Lambo-san will win!"

Tsuna tried to grab the toddler when he suddenly pulled a rocket launcher from his hair (where did he keep getting these things?!) but was a second too slow. Lambo fired and Tsuna could only watch in awed terror as Reborn hit the rocket back, the resulting explosion sending Lambo sailing out the window and into the neighborhood.

"Lambo!" Tsuna screeched, rushing to the window. "Reborn, what the fuck?!"

"He'll be fine," Reborn shrugged, hopping over to the fridge. "The Bovino Famiglia is known for being as resilient as cockroaches. We're out of eggs, go get more."

Even if Tsuna _had_ seen Lambo take full-on explosions to the face only to come out of it with a puff of smoke and a dizzied expression before, that didn't mean he was ever going to get used to it.

"We can't just leave him out there," Tsuna argued. "We need to go get him."

"Go get who?" Nana called from the entryway, the sound of the front door closing echoing down to them.

"Lambo went out into the neighborhood to play," Reborn explained easily. "But Tsuna needs to go replace the eggs he ruined."

Nana rounded the corner looking concerned. "By himself? Namimori is safe, but someone should still be with him." He sniffed, face crumpling like paper. "...Tsuna, did you try to make eggs again?"

"Y-yes, but Dad Lambo is-"

"Nearby," Reborn hopped up onto Tsuna's head, settling in easily. "He'll come home eventually. Tsuna, let's go to the store."

"But-!"

"Hey," Nana soothed, placing a hand on his shoulder. Tsuna leaned into it, easily distracted by the orange flare where their hand touched. "Don't worry Tsu-kun, I'll go find Lambo, okay? And I can run by the store too, so you just enjoy your day off alright?"

"I-!" there was a slight tug at his hair. Tsuna deflated. "Alright Dad."

Nana ruffled his hair, smiling a bit. "I'll be right back, and then we can make breakfast together okay?"

Tsuna perked up a bit more. "Okay!"

"Ah, Nana-chan," Bianchi re-appeared at the entrance to the kitchen. Tsuna squealed, face flaming red as he covered his eyes. "Welcome home. Would you like to join me?"

"Uh," Nana blinked at the tall woman wearing a bikini with a lawn chair tucked under one arm. "Are you going swimming?"

"Sunbathing."

"I… guess it's still warm enough for that," Nana shook his head. "I've got to go find Lambo. I'm sure Lavina would be happy to join you though. She should be waking up soon."

Bianchi looked thrilled. "That would be wonderful. Reborn, will you join as well?"

"Sure."

Tsuna watched them all leave, deadpan. If his life kept flipping between pure, unfiltered chaos and dull silence like this he was going to get whiplash. At least this meant he had time to himself for a bit. That was a rarity.

"Tsuna," Reborn appeared again, now dressed in a weird-looking Hawaiian shirt with a sun hat. "Finish your homework before Nana gets back or face the consequences."

"Ugh," Tsuna moaned. He stomped over to and up the stairs.

At least he only had a bit of history left. Maybe he'd have enough time to play a game or something.

Ten minutes later there was an explosion from the front yard.

Tsuna laid his head on his desk and sighed.

-00-

"Lambo-kun!" Nana cupped his hands around his mouth to increase his volume. "Lambo-kun, it's time to go home! Where are you bud?"

He was torn on how to feel about this. Namimori was incredibly safe, so much so that Nana only ever felt paranoid when Tsuna was out after dark. Any concern Nana had about kids being out at night was a by-product of his last life (their neighborhood had not been a kind one) but with the Hibari family keeping the streets as safe as possible it was easy for him to push away his concerns when his son was a little late. So he was sure Lambo was safe, wherever he was, but he was still only five-years-old. While he doubted anyone would hurt him that didn't mean he wouldn't hurt _himself_.

"Lambo-kun!"

Nana sighed, running a hand through his hair. He'd made Lambo an info necklace (his name, Nana's phone number, and the address to the house) just like he used to make for Tsuna and Kyoya. Tsuna had never had to use it, considering he rarely ever left Nana's side whenever they were out when he was younger, but there had been plenty of times where someone had called for them to pick up Kyoya whenever they were on a trip somewhere. Not that Kyoya had ever used it willingly, half the time it had been someone complaining about property damage and fights.

...Hopefully Lambo would actually use it how it was meant to be used. The Disciplinary Committee was easily recognizable thanks to their uniforms, and Nana had made sure to always point them out so Lambo would recognize them. All he would need to do is go up to one of them and hand them the necklace.

Nana pulled out his phone. Kyoya always seemed to know where everyone was, he'd ask him if he'd seen Lambo.

Turning the corner to head back home (he doubted Lambo went very far) Nana bumped into someone that had been running from the other direction. He blinked, barely even shifting, while the person he bumped into fell over.

"Ah, shit, sorry," Nana leaned down to help them up. "Are you okay?"

Brilliant green eyes looked up at him, filled with tears.

Nana blinked. "...Lambo-kun?"

The man gaped up at him, lips wobbling.

Oops. Not Lambo. Even if this guy looked a lot like Lambo (had the same shade of green in his eyes Nana had never seen anywhere else) he was a grown man. Clearly not the toddler Nana was looking for.

"Sorry," Nana grinned sheepishly, holding out his hand, "you reminded me of someone. Are you okay?"

The man accepted the hand up, holding onto it like it was a lifeline. It was kind of weird that he wasn't letting go, but not as weird as him wearing a yukata usually found at hotels or hot springs. He also wasn't wearing any shoes?

"Are you okay?" Nana asked. He kind of wanted his hand back but this dude looked two seconds away from sobbing. If he pulled away it might make the poor guy lose it.

"I'm f-fine," he wiped at the back of his eyes furiously with his free hand, still holding onto Nana with his other. "I can… tolerate this much."

"Okay," Nana said, trying to sound soothing even though he was confused. "You gonna let go of my hand any time soon?"

"Sorry," he let go. He smiled calmly even though his eyes were still red. "It's good to see you."

Uh-oh. Did Nana know this guy? Shit, did he forget him from something? Nana was usually good with faces, and this guy did seem really familiar. The fluffiness of his black hair was eyecatching enough, but it was his eyes that would have cemented any meeting with him.

"Are you looking for something?" The man suddenly perked up, saving Nana from having to admit he had no fucking idea who this guy was. "I can help!"

"I am..." Nana tilted his head. Seriously, how did he _know_ him? "How'd you know?"

"There's a mountain between your eyebrows," he grinned suddenly, pointing at Nana's forehead. "It means you can't find something."

Nana blinked away the image of Lambo's wide smile that suddenly overlapped with the man's face.

"That's… a super cute way of putting that," Nana locked the saying away to use later.

He seemed confused. "But that's what you always-"

"Romeo!"

Nana shivered reflexively when every hair on his arm stood up. It was like a blanket of static had been thrown over him and suddenly the man was halfway down the street.

Nana blinked. It almost felt like when he used his Flames, but he was pretty sure he was the only Flame user in Namimori right now.

"You can't run forever!"

Nana watched as Bianchi, still in her bikini, power ran down the street with a gun in one hand and a plate of something purple in the other.

There was a puff of pink smoke where the man was still running.

Nana reached up slowly, pinching the skin of his forearm when the smoke dissipated and Lambo was suddenly sitting on the sidewalk with a wide grin and a happy little blush.

Bianchi ran right past him, still looking for the man she had apparently been trying to kill.

"Maman!" Lambo cheered, catching sight of Nana still staring blankly at him. He ran over, climbing up his leg until he could hang off Nana's neck like a jungle gym. "Where's your monster make-up?"

Shoving the questions about how reality worked skillfully away into a familiar little box Nana smiled down at Lambo and settled him into his arms. "Hey bud. What do you mean monster make-up?"

Lambo beamed up at him, reaching up to pat the left side of his face. "You were dressed like a monster. You told me you were going to a party."

"Well, I am going to a party in a little bit," Nana told him, thinking about the lunch with his friends he was supposed to have. "But I won't be needing any monster makeup."

"Can you still do Lambo-san's make-up?" he bounced excitedly in Nana's arms. "You promised! Lambo-san wants to be a zombie!"

Nana laughed. Seriously, this kid was too cute. "Sure. Wanna come to the store with me and pick out what colors you want?"

"Yeah!"

Nana set him on the ground, hunching over a bit so they could hold hands. It was easier to carry him, honestly, but with how much he squirmed it was safer to let him walk on his own.

It took them a while to get around the store. Lambo was still at the point where he would cry if he didn't get something so Nana had to keep stopping to calm him down and explain why they weren't going to get any candy or toys. Tsuna had a phase like that when he was around Lambo's age, but it was a little more exhausting with Lambo. Nana had to keep reminding himself that this was a temporary thing and that as long as he kept calm Lambo would eventually break the habit.

The moment they got home Lambo charge inside with thrilled laughter, his little bag of Halloween make-up held tightly in his hands. Nana stayed outside for a moment to stare at both the scorch marks in front of his house and the group lounging in his yard.

"Hello Nana-san," Bianchi waved lazily.

Reborn tipped his hat in greeting.

"Nana!" Lavina waved happily, stretched out on the third lawn chair Nana hadn't even realized they owned. "I see you found Lambo-chan. A young man came by earlier to drop him off but he ran off again right after."

"Mh," Nana grunted, ready for a mid-morning nap. "Don't forget about lunch."

"Alright," she chirped, adjusting her sunglasses.

Nana sighed, shaking his head before going inside. "I'm back."

Tsuna bounded down the stairs. "Welcome back Dad."

They both paused, looking down the hall as Lambo's giggled echoed from the bathroom.

"...How about sandwiches?" Nana tried.

Tsuna laughed. "Sure. Those will be quick."

Nana ruffled his hair. "Lambo! Come make sandwiches with us first, then we'll use the make-up!"

The whine of impatience was impressive but Nana had long since learned to tune out certain octaves of sound.

"Make-up?" Tsuna asked.

"He wants to be a zombie."

"Oh." Tsuna blinked. "Okay?"

"Let's get started, he'll join us soon."

Hopefully they would be able to finish everything in time for Nana to squeeze in that nap.

-00-

The nap was a fruitless dream and Nana really should know better by now. Still, making food with both Tsuna and Lambo had been fun (and very messy). The zombification process had been an adventure on its own too (...and very messy). Nana didn't regret it, even if he had to stifle a few yawns in his shoulder as he pushed Lavina's wheelchair to the Sushi Shop.

Huh. They had closed up shop again. They really didn't do it that often, once or twice a month for their get-togethers, but it still seemed like a bit much to close down the whole shop just so they could all hang out. Ah well, Nana wouldn't complain. It was nice, having all that time to themselves.

"We're here!" Nana called loudly, wedging the door open with his foot and sliding it out of the way so he could wheel Lavina over the threshold.

There was no answer.

"Aiko-chan?" Lavina wrapped her shawl a little tighter around her shoulders. "Tsuyoshi-kun?"

Nana frowned. All the lights were off in the restaurant but he could see the light in the kitchen was still on. All the shutters were drawn too, leaving the room much darker. "Kouske and Natsuki should be here too. Hey! Are you guys here?"

Lavina reached for her purse when the silence stretched on too long. "Nana…"

"I'll check it out," he promised, stepping around her wheelchair and closing the door softly. "You got the door?"

Lavina nodded, eyes narrowed in a way that made her the mirror image of her son.

The hairs on Nana's arms raised as he let his Flames start to flow slowly over his skin. Not enough to show, but enough that they were a simple thought away. Walking along the sides of his feet he moved swiftly to the kitchen entryway.

Using his phone he turned on the camera, flipping it and poking it a little around the edge to see the kitchen.

It was spotless, which made no sense when the lunch rush would have been merely an hour ago. Especially since they were closing early, they always had more people come grab take-out on days like this. The only thing out of place was one of Tsuyoshi's knives, which had been left on the cutting board.

Nana looked back at Lavina, shaking his head.

Lavina pursed her lips.

Nana reached around the door and quickly hit the light switch. His eyes were already fairly acclimated to the dark thanks to the main room, and if someone left the light on on purpose then he didn't want to give them any advantage.

Once he was sure nothing had changed he gave Lavina a thumbs up and slipped into the kitchen. Even if he hadn't adjusted to the dark he knew the path to the stairs by memory. Halfway up, against the sides to avoid the creaks, he had half a second to process the sound of whistling air. Throwing himself back over the railing he barely dodged whatever it was that sped past his face and embedded in the wall.

'_Was that an arrow?!'_ Nana stayed crouched, bewildered.

Who the fuck used arrows anymore?

Nana shook his head. It didn't matter what out-dated weaponry was being used, not when it was being used in his friend's house. Normally Nana would approach this more carefully, but he didn't know where Aiko or Tsuyoshi were. They could need help and the faster he got to them the better.

Besides, it didn't matter if the archer could see him. Not if their arrows were made useless.

Nana's Flames lit the room in a dark green, his skin sparking. As soon as the majority of his body was covered he charged up the stairs.

The arrow that shattered against his hip carried the sound of a surprised gasp with it. The next two met the same fate. Nana was almost at the top when he had to dodge the two aimed at his knees.

'_How the fuck are they reloading so fast?!' _Nana twisted away from another, letting it hit his upper arm instead of his elbow. The spiked tip fractured against his skin, falling without leaving so much as a mark. Three more, all aimed at his knees were cut in half with a swift strike of his arm. '_Aaaand now they know to aim for my joints.'_

Apparently arrows weren't so out-dated after all. Still, Nana had the advantage in speed. The moment his foot hit the top floor he rocketed towards where the arrows had been coming from.

The figure at the end of the hall startled but continued to draw back another arrow.

A flash of silver, reflected only by Nana's Flames, had him throwing up his arm. The sword that struck out from Takeshi's bedroom caught on his arm, and even though it didn't pierce through his skin it still pushed him down enough to stop him from advancing.

His Flames were really doing a piss poor job of lighting things up so he couldn't really see who had just taken a swing at him but Nana could tell they were tall.

Nana glared up at them, twisting his arm so the sword dragged down and away from him. He punched out only to have his momentum stopped by another arrow.

'_Did they just- did they shoot my fucking _hand_?! From that angle?!"_

The archer had to go.

The sword flashed again. Nana ducked, kicking out. He might be able to stop the blade from hurting him but the power behind each swing would push him back towards the stairs. It would be better to avoid it.

The blade turned, impossibly controlled, and caught his foot mid kick. Nana had enough time to blink before his leg was thrown with enough force to send him flipping back. He caught himself on the wall, foot landing for a moment before another arrow knocked it off and sent Nana to the ground.

_Fuck_, the archer needed to be taken care of. Nana was starting to run out of options if he wanted to knock whoever these people were out. He tried to avoid seriously damaging people whenever he could but if they kept pushing him back like this, when his friends could be hurt _or worse_, he was going to have to get a little more lethal.

The blade came down again. Nana kicked at it, matching the force enough to help him spin back up to his feet.

Every time he went for the archer they teamed up to send him further back. Nana wasn't getting anywhere in the hallway.

Fine. If he couldn't get the archer out of the way, he'd get the sword asshole out of their line of sight.

Sacrificing the defense around his torso Nana poured more Flames into his arms and legs. Crouching down he launched himself at the sword wielder, crossing his arms in front of him to catch the blade that came down in response.

The force sent them both into Takeshi's room and out of the hallway.

With maybe ten seconds before the archer would be able to make it down to the door, Nana turned their full focus on the sword wielder.

"Go down you fucker," Nana cursed when they matched his hits blow for blow. They weren't using Flames. All they had was a blade and Nana could _see_ it shake every time he hit it but the person holding it never faltered, keeping up through what must have been reflex alone.

There was a tiny huff of laughter, and that was all that kept Nana from grabbing one of Takeshi's strewn about comics to cut at the fingers holding the blade.

"_Tsuyoshi?!"_

"Oops."

The swordsman giggled again.

There was a sigh of disappointment and Nana had to bend all the way backward, utilizing the bridge stance he had worked on with Kyoya that morning, to avoid the tonfa that had shot out of the closet to hit him in the head.

"Must you ruin everything?" another shadowed figure stepped out of the closet. Nana didn't need to see their face to know who it was.

"Sorry," Tsuyoshi laughed, still swinging at Nana causally. "Nana makes me laugh."

"Tsuyoshi," the archer was at the door, sounding fond, and exasperated, and exactly _like Aiko_ what the _fuck-_

"I would say we should finish this but I doubt your son would be very happy with the state of his room if we did," another figure appeared at Aiko's shoulder, clearly Natsuki.

"What the fuck?!" Nana shrieked, catching Tsuyoshi's blade in his hand and pulling it. Tsuyoshi went willingly, coming close enough that his grinning face was clearly visible in the light of Nana's Flames.

The lights clicked on.

"Why are you like this?!" Nana whirled on Kousked, pointing a finger right in his face.

Kouske looked down at it, unimpressed. "There are four of us here, clearly I am not the only one involved in this."

"It's your fault, I know it is," Nana glared at him. "Tsuyoshi goes along with anything fun and Aiko is too nice to say no to you!"

Kouske rolled his eyes. "And my wife?"

"Spoils you fucking rotten, of _course_ she would do this."

And instead of looking affronted or embarrassed, like a normal grown-ass man accused of being spoiled like a baby, he looked pleased. _Proud._

"This was actually my idea Nana," Natsuki said, amused.

"Natsuki," Nana turned betrayed eyes to the tall woman. Aiko looked guilty but she was still smiling beside her.

"They were in no danger," Natsuki assured, resting a hand lightly on Aiko's shoulder. "Kouske and I were close enough to intervene if needed. We also had Beni-kun and Jenna-chan behind you just in case."

Nana grimaced. Tetsu-kun's parents… had been behind him the whole time?

He shivered. They _had_ to be ninjas.

A heavy pat on the back made him stumble.

"That was so cool Nana!" Tsuyoshi cheered, resting his fricken _samurai sword_ on his shoulder without a care in the world. "How'd you stop the blade from cutting you? Kouske said you'd be fine, but I didn't think it'd work like that! Do you use magic?"

"And the arrows!" Aiko popped in, clasping her hands together. "That was amazing! I had been so scared to shoot at you at first but Natsuki bumped my arm. I thought I was going to hurt you but then it- it just bounced right off you!"

Realization dripped into Nana's brain like a leaky faucet.

"You two-," he pointed between them. "Are _awesome_! Tsuyoshi, I knew you were good with knives and shit but a _sword_?! And the way you moved it, it was like water! Aiko, you shot my hand mid-punch! And my foot off the wall! How'd you reload so fast? Have you always been an archer? How'd you guys get so good?!"

"Ugh," Kouske pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is never going to end."

Natsuki huffed out a small laugh. "How about we all rejoin Lavina downstairs and get lunch started?"

"Oh shit," Nana rushed for the door. "Lavina! You're never going to fucking believe this!"

-00-

"Blegh."

"Lambo," Tsuna sighed, wilting under the afternoon sun. "We need to go home. My friends are going to be there soon."

"Blegh!"

Around the block twice, that was what Tsuna had promised. He didn't realize they were going to be moving at a snail's pace.

Lambo hobbled along, hands held up stiffly in front of him as he moaned and groaned. His entire face was an ashen pale shade that was definitely not healthy and there were a few spots that looked like his skin was degrading. For grocery store-bought make-up Tsuna thought it turned out pretty good. That didn't mean he wanted to be outside any longer than he had to though.

"Lambo."

"BLEGH!"

Sigh.

At least they were almost home. They'd have to pass the dog again (the big one that was always angry and trying to eat them through the gate) but once they were past that they'd be within eyesight of their house at least.

Tsuna shivered. He could already hear the barking.

"L-Let's go a little quicker, okay Lambo?"

Surprisingly, Lambo listened. Not by much, he was still hobbling, but it was a quick little hopping movement now. Maybe he was scared of the dog too.

Something flared in the back of Tsuna's head, making all the hairs on his neck and arm stand up. A split-second later there was a crash.

Tsuna stared, horrified, as the dog barreled into the gate and broke through.

Lambo screamed.

Scooping Lambo into his arms Tsuna turned on his heel and booked it the other way.

"Hieeee, please don't eat us!"

There was no way they were going to outrun this dog. What should he do? He could toss Lambo up onto the stone fence next to them and try to climb up but if he didn't make it in time-

Something small flew past his head.

"What was- a baby?!"

A little kid, barely as tall as Lambo stood between them and the dog. Tsuna stumbled over his own feet, twisting to try to grab them to.

"No! Stay away from-!"

Spreading their legs for balance the kid pulled their arm back. Right before the dog reached them they pushed forward sharply, open palm facing forward. The dog flew back with a whine.

_'They didn't even touch it!'_ Tsuna thought it awe. He fell to the floor, cradling the shaking Lambo carefully. "U-um, thank you!"

The dog ran away, not willing to try again.

The kid turned to look at them, the little braid on top of their head swaying back and forth. Their face was furrowed so tightly it looked nearly painful.

_'A-are they angry?'_ Tsuna gulped. "S-sorry to bother you. Thank you again."

They bowed sharply before running the other way.

Tsuna breathed out shakily. He looked down. "Are you okay?"

Lambo shivered, looking up with watery eyes. Tsuna grimaced at the snot along the front of his shirt. "L-Lambo-san is brave! L-Lambo-san wasn't scared."

"Yes, yes," he patted his back. Let's go home, okay?"

"...okay."

Lambo refused to be put back down on the way back, clinging to Tsuna harshly.

Lambo was kind of annoying, and he didn't really get that you shouldn't use people's shirts as tissues. Still, Tsuna couldn't quite help the fond smile on his face when he went back to groaning like a zombie.

-00-

"_That's_ where you went on mother's day?" Nana looked surprised.

Aiko nodded proudly. "Yes! Takeshi had inspired me and I wanted to try again. Tsuyoshi set it all up for me so I just had to show up. I've been going as often as I can to get back to where I was."

"You mean you were better before?!" Nana leaned forwards in disbelief.

"That's amazing Aiko-chan," Lavina marveled. "You too Tsuyoshi-kun. I had no idea you've been training to use the sword since you were a boy."

"Yup!" he patted his own chest. "It runs in the family!"

"Do you plan on teaching Takeshi-kun?" Natsuki wondered.

Something odd passed through the tall man's eyes, but it was gone too quickly to place. "Maybe. If he needs it."

Kouske looked over at him, eyes narrowed.

"So what was up with all that?" Nana waved their hand towards the stairs. "You could have just told us you guys were badass, you didn't have to lunge at me from the dark."

Tsuyoshi laughed. "Natsuki said it'd be more fun if we showed rather than told. She also said you could use more practice."

"Of course she did," Nana muttered, squinting over at Natsuki who was smiling back.

"It was a valuable experience," Natsuki said. "It is just a shame that Miyu-chan was working and could not join in. I had also wished for you to see that your friends are more than capable of defending themselves."

Nana didn't like the hidden message in that. Aiko, Tsuyoshi, and _especially _Miyu would _not_ be getting involved. Ever.

"I think it's time we started heading back," Lavina looked at the clock. "It's almost dinner time at this point."

"Oh jeez, you're right," Nana stretched. Their eating schedule was totally going to be thrown off by this.

Kouske was already by the door.

"Whoa, wait a second," Nana scrambled up.

Natsuki was grabbing her things off the bar counter but he couldn't let either of them leave without talking to them first.

"Hey," Nana grabbed Kouske's arm lightly. He looked down at them, eyebrow raised. "Can I talk to you and Natsuki about Kyoya?"

"Ah," he said. Looking over his shoulder he motioned for Natsuki to join them.

"What do you mean 'ah',?" Nana frowned. "Does that mean something _is_ wrong with Kyoya? Is he okay?"

"Is this about Kyoya?" Natsuki stepped up next to her husband. He nodded. "Ah."

Nana resisted the urge to wring his hands together. "Is Kyoya okay?"

"He will be," Natsuki assured.

Nana waited a moment. That seemed like all they were going to say. "What's going on with him?"

Natsuki gave him a small, comforting smile. "Don't worry Nana, what Kyoya is going through is completely normal and not something we can really help with. He's just trying to adjust to the changes going on around him."

"Changes?" Nana wondered.

Natsuki crossed her arms, tapping one long finger against the crease of her elbow. She looked thoughtful. "I suppose it is something you should know, as his teacher. My family is rather… unique."

Nana snorted. Kouske smacked the back of his head. Nana flipped him off.

"Children, please," Natsuki said, amused. "Nana, my side of the family has always been very particular about the way we view and pursue any kind of social relationship."

"Uh, okay?"

"Using a commonly coined term, you could consider us lone wolves for the majority of our lives," Natsuki explained, only confusing Nana more. "We thrive off of challenges, and reject connections as potential weaknesses."

Slowly, Nana nodded. He definitely saw that in Kyoya at times, but he'd never seen it in Natsuki before. "That sounds more like Kouske than you though."

Natsuki let out a small laugh, the corners of her eyes crinkling in amusement when Nana stared at her with wide eyes. "I'm surprised you haven't noticed how much of a social butterfly Kouske is."

"Natsuki," Kouske said sternly. He sighed when she rested her hand on his shoulder, smiling at him.

Kouske. A social butterfly? Nana almost laughed. That man and social interaction were like two magnets with the same poles. No matter how hard you tried to push them together, they always repelled one another.

"You don't have to be good at interacting with others to enjoy it," Natsuki said, as though reading his mind.

Nana pursed his lips, doubtful. He guessed it was true that Kouske hung out with all of them more than Natsuki did. He baked with Lavina all the time, went to the movies with them, and Nana had even seen him walking around with Tsuyoshi or Aiko sometimes downtown. Actually, now that he thought about it, he'd never seen Kouske turn down an invitation to hang out from any of them. And Natsuki… they had meals together sometimes. Besides occasionally eating together Nana only really ever saw her when they had something important to talk about or when Kyoya was around. Looking back, it did kind of look like Natsuki was the more introverted of the two.

"I don't mind interacting with all of you," Natsuki promised. "I simply find most social settings stifling. It is… difficult for those on my side of the family to make connections with others strong enough to go against our natural instinct and desire to stay isolated."

Oh. That was totally Kyoya. The more people around him the more agitated he got and then the more aggressive he became. People put him on edge. Nana always thought it was a type of social anxiety so he'd try to keep an eye out for it, to make sure Kyoya wasn't overwhelmed or overstimulated. Nana had assumed it was a byproduct of living in a small town where everyone avoided him because he was a little murder monster, thus making him unused to human contact, but it looked like it was more genetic going by what Natsuki was saying.

"So…," Nana tapped at his chin, thinking it over, "Kyoya is upset right now because he's being surrounded by too many people?"

Kouske shook his head. "The opposite."

"Okay," Nana threw his hands up a bit. "I'm even more confused now."

"It is difficult to form strong, mutual connections," Natsuki repeated, reaching out for Kouske's hand and twining their fingers together. "Most of my family members do not find anyone they can interact with on such a deep level until they are much, much older. Some never find anyone at all. When we do find someone, we get rather… possessive. It is such a rare thing, and such a unique feeling, that we find it very difficult to give it up for any reason."

Kouske rested the side of his head against hers, turning just a bit to brush a kiss against her hair.

Nana observed their easy affection with a warm heart. They were always very open with how much they adored each other and Nana remembered a conversation with Natsuki where the woman had actually admitted to hiring people to make sure Kouske was never too busy to spend time with her and their son.

"Kyoya is extremely fortunate," Natsuki continued, leaning against her husband. "He has already found several people with which he can have small connections with, which is rare enough on its own, but he has also found those he can build that deeper bond with over time."

Nana frowned. "I don't think I've seen him around anyone like that though. He's definitely fond of people, like Tsuna and Takeshi-kun, but I haven't seen anything like you're describing."

"That's because he is a teenager and a Hibari," Natsuki sighed. "Finding someone we feel drawn to is a very strong experience, and very confusing. I met Kouske when I was already an adult. For Kyoya this will be much harder to figure out."

"You're also an idiot," Kouske chimed in.

Nana reached out to punch him in the shoulder. He didn't even budge. "If you're going to add to this conversation at least make it something useful, asshole."

Kouske reached out and flicked his head. "_You _are one of the people Kyoya feels strongly connected to."

Nana froze, hands cradling his forehead. He looked up at Kouske with wide eyes.

"Nana," Natsuki pulled his hands away, holding them in her own. "Both you and Tsuna are very important to our son. You have had rather large impacts on his life, and it is only recently that he is truly starting to understand that."

Nana fidgeted, fingers twitching in her grasp. "We've both been so busy though, we've barely even seen him lately."

Natsuki's eyes were warm and understanding. "That's why he's upset."

Oh.

"Every child values a certain level of consistency in their life," Natsuki patted his hands. "Even Kyoya. Now that Tsuna-kun is growing up and you are starting down your new path you won't be in his life as much as you always have been."

Nana's stomach curled. Guilt weighed down his words. "I never meant-."

Kouske flicked him again. "Only apologize if you are at fault. This would have happened eventually and Kyoya is growing up himself. He needs to find his own path before he starts worrying about others."

Nana held tightly to Natsuki's hands, brow furrowed. "Is that… is that why he's been so busy with his committee lately?"

"We've entrusted Namimori to him," Kouske nodded. "It will help him focus."

Most parents, when faced with their child's search for a place in life, would recommend hobbies or that they get their first job to start exploring what they want to aim for. To give them a sense of purpose. The Hibari family gave their child an entire fucking town to rule over.

"Don't worry about Kyoya," Natsuki advised, squeezing his hands once more before letting go. "This is just a part of growing up he needs to figure out himself."

Kouske's eyes narrowed when Nana looked away. "Do not put anything off to spend more time with him. Only give the time you actually _have_ to spare. Do not discourage his growth."

Nana pressed his lips together. That made an irritating amount of sense, even if it had been phrased coldly. He hated thinking that Kyoya was upset because he'd been spending less time with him (even if it also made him feel so loved he wanted to cry happy, blubbering tears) but it _was_ true that Kyoya was at an age where degrees of separation were normal. Difficult and scary, sure- Nana remembered when his siblings had moved out and his dad had gotten more busy with work to cover medical bills and the crushing loneliness that followed- but it was also one of the most important times of self-discovery. Being alone was never easy, but it wasn't always bad either. It gave the ability to focus fully on one-self, and the growth from that was not something that could easily be found without solitude in some manner.

Nana sighed deeply through his nose. "...Okay. I can't promise I won't try to spend at least a bit more time with him, but I won't push anything. I'll let him grow on his own."

His eyes shot wide-open, a blush bubbling furiously up his neck to the tip of his ears when a hand came down to ruffle his hair a bit.

"Good," Kouske said, short and to the point. He pulled his hand back, nudging Natsuki towards the door. Apparently the conversation was done now. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Nana," Natsuki sounded like she was laughing. She probably looked like it too but Nana couldn't look up past the debilitating feeling of 'holy shit he just praised me _and_ touched my hair'.

The door closed with the gentle ring of a bell.

Pounding footsteps were the only warning Nana had before he was bombarded by his friends.

"Oh my gosh, _Nana_," Aiko shook his arm, practically vibrating with energy. "What did you _do_?! He was smiling! Did he say something nice? You're blushing! What did he say! He patted your head! What did you do?!"

Tsuyoshi threw an arm around his shoulders, jostling him in some kind of rhythmic beat with his wife's insistent pulling. "You guys looked so serious! Everything okay? Natsuki-chan held your hands for a long time, and I've never seen Kouske touch someone willingly… ever! Are you best friends now? Lucky! I want to be their best friend too! How'd you do it? Give me some pointers, haha!"

"Good job Nana!" Lavina called from where she was still sitting at the bar. "I don't know what you did but they looked really happy and proud! Well done!"

"Agh!" Nana roared, batting away at the hands tugging at him. "Buzz of you nosy flies! Stop touching me!"

They were not to be deterred.

"But Nana, I need to know!" Aiko insisted, grinning so wide it made her eyes close.

"Yeah!" Tsuyoshi agreed. "No fair getting on their good side without getting us in too! I called dibs on being Kouske's best friend years ago!"

"You're the only one that wants that!" Nana shouted back, desperately fighting to get his blush to disappear. "I'm pretty sure you're delusional cause even _Kouske _doesn't want that."

"Ha!" Tsuyoshi laughed, putting Nana into a near headlock at this point as Aiko shook his shoulders. "Of course he does! And if he doesn't then I'll show him! I'm a great friend to have, you know."

Aiko was still babbling away, lost in her own little world. "-can't believe how happy they looked, this is wonderful! They're always so stoic, I worry about them all the time, but now we're all friends and they're so happy and-!"

"Lavina! Help me!" Nana cried desperately.

Lavina laughed, leaning her cheek against her palm as she watched them.

"Lavina!"

-00-

Why was everything so hot? No wait, now it was cold.

...It was hot again.

Tsuna rubbed at his eyes, groaning. He wasn't going to be able to sleep like this. It was already four in the morning. He had gone to bed as soon as Dad got home, feeling exhausted after running for his life earlier (Lambo took full credit for the rescue, of course). He didn't realize something else had been adding to his exhaustion.

It might explain why Reborn actually let him sleep though.

A mark on his hand caught his eye. It was too dark in his room to really make it out but it seemed like something was smeared on the lower half of his palm. Squinting at it Tsuna used his other hand to turn on his bedside lamp.

He paled.

"What the heck is this?!"

The little black skull looked inked onto his skin, but it was clearly moving.

"I've never gotten an A on any of my tests," the skull suddenly spoke, sounding like it was echoing up from underwater.

Tsuna screamed.

-00-

**Did I shove as much daily life arc as I could in one day? Yes. Yes I did. Do I regret it? Not really. It didn't mess up the pacing I want besides making this chapter hella long so it's all good.**

**bloodshound: I'm so sorry! T-T T-T I honestly thought I had replied because I thought about your review for so long and it made me giggle! I have seriously got to stop finishing up chapters so late at night, it's making me make stupid mistakes. I'm so sorry friend! For this time's review (and thank you for responding again even though I'm a complete dunce) Snake is going nicely through some self-realizations and he shouldn't be gone for too long. The reunion is going to be a blast! I actually have pretty much all of it written out, I just need to get to it. *sigh* so much stuff! For the brawl the winner is currently undecided because the main mission (protect Tsuna) kinda... didn't completely work. Not for lack of trying! But Tsuna was totally covered in paint (paintball bullets, they hurt like B) so they technically didn't complete the first mission enough for the second to count. They live to fight another day! Snake gets all the hugs! All of them! ...You're really too nice. It is kind of scary to post stuff, especially when you do and then realize no one really likes it. I've had stories like that (a lot T-T) and it kind of sucks but the stories were still fun to write and think about, plus they gave me the experience I needed to make future stories (this one included) better. Take your time and I hope one day you feel confident enough to share your own stories with the world. I'm sure the colors you create will be really cool. For example, I already adore Laurie. She sounds like a fricken delight. Her and Nana are gonna hit it off like nobody's business. Seriously, their personalities are going to mix so well. I keep getting a lot of bar owner/worker OC's too so now I can create a kind of inner bar circle for the mafia world that has ties, like, everywhere because alcohol is universal. It's gonna be a blast!**

**Tsuki Banritt: Thank you! That's very kind of you to say, I appreciate it!**

**Guest: This will definitely sound stupid (and hopefully it's just because of how late it is and how sleep I am) but I'm totally blanking on what M.o.D stands for. *sweatdrops* Tying Snake to anything Harry Potter thought is just Mwuah *chef kiss*. Wonderful. I love it!**

**Yuki Nagasawa: Always my dear! I enjoy chatting with you! *sitting there, avidly waiting, with a cup of tea looking like Edna Mode***

**Anya: Kyoya is adorable! In a scary, murder gremlin sort of way XD Dang, that's a lot of Haru hate. Which is chill, I hated her a lot too when I first read this. I just have to deal with a lot of kids like her, and that's kind of changed my perspective. I'll try to make her more relatable and likable, so I hope that turns out well! No worries if not, but let me know what you think of her going forward. Liked or hated, feedback on how a character is responded to is always valuable (you won't even _believe_ the kind of feedback I got on Iemitsu whenever he was in a chapter XD). So far I have no pairings really planned, but I can definitely say that HaruXKyoya has never really been one on my mind. You're definitely safe there. Sorry about the sporadic updates, I really am trying to keep up with this as best I can. Life just grabs free time and smushes it like a grape. Hope you like the next one! I'll definitely let you know if I write anything for Natsuki, Kouske, and Nana! **

**ADDBaby: Ahahahaha! Oh my gosh, you just made me think of Snake as the Charlie Conspiracy Wall meme and now I can't get it out of my head! XD XD Seriously though, this is the nicest call out for writing crimes I have ever gotten. You've crushed my doubts with a solid gavel strike and a cry of GUILTY! The way you summarized the chapter made me positively giddy. Thank you! I hope your holidays were as wonderful as you! And may your new year be as kick-ass as Kouske!**

**S-Lioness: You're half right! I hope you like how it turned out!**

**ChaosHearth: Oh sweet, thank you! She actually fits perfectly into a plot point I was going to have come up. It does involve Enma so she might not show up for awhile. I hope that's okay. When she does I promise it's going to be for a nice, impactful introduction. Agh, I'm so excited for it already! I gotta pick up the pace!**

**zakuranavarro: All in one day?! Holy smokes, you are a dedicated reader! And I love it! Thank you for your kind words friend, I hope you continue to like it!**

**Mel writer: Thank you! It's always nice to hear from you Mel. Dang, Snake's got all these secret fans coming out of the woodworks. He won't know what to do with himself XD Nana has plans! Snake-like plans, and they shall not be foiled!**

**mikanMD: Snake *shocked Pikachu face* XD When I was a kid I actually used to hate Haru. She reminded me a lot of my siblings (who I didn't get along with at the time) so I automatically just projected my frustrations with them onto her. Now though, she's super cute. And brave/crazy as heck. She's gonna be a blast to add to the story. Kyoko is a force to be reckoned with, let me tell ya. XD I might write a thing later about that one time when they were kids. It's a fun story. Kyoko and Tsuna are adorable! I adore them!**

**random-k: Aww, thank you! Double thanks for taking the time to come back and tell me that you liked it! You're awesome! I am still accepting OC's! I will be for a while, so feel free to PM whenever you want.**

**katsekala: the first arc is so fricken long, I'm glad I'm able to spice it up enough to make it enjoyable! Seriously, thank you, that comment made me a lot more confident in how I'm approaching it. I know the lack of serious action can get boring. We shall resist the zombification process together! Huzzah! *many hugs and kisses back!* **


	23. Run Shamal, Run

**Those good creative brain juices are a'flowing my friends! I also had a day off of all work and no school work, so that helped too. Hope you enjoy!**

**Tsuna is sick**

**Shamal is a dick**

**Nana is having none of it**

**I-Pin needs glasses**

**Dino is there too I guess**

**Sometimes you need a day off, and sometimes you don't get it**

**Miyu is so cool**

**-00-**

Run Shamal Run

**-00-**

"I've already called a doctor," Reborn promised when Nana stepped towards him.

Nana glared. "You said it could _kill him_."

"It could," Reborn nodded, "if it's left untreated for too long. Shamal should be here soon, it won't take very long to cure."

Tsuna shuffled on his feet awkwardly, scratching at the newest skull on his shoulder. He hated being sick normally. Creepy skulls that shared his deepest, most embarrassing secrets until he died? He would never complain about having a cold again.

Nana's lips trembled from how hard she pressed them together. "...Trident Shamal?"

"Yes."

The only thing stopping Nana from trying to punt Reborn out the fucking window was his appearance. She couldn't drop-kick a baby, even if he was a manipulative little shit.

"You've known about this since the beginning," Nana accused, little half-moons in her palm. The bathroom was cramped with all three of them in it but the lighting was good. She could easily see the skulls starting to dot Tsuna's chest and arms.

'I kick my dirty clothes under my bed sometimes so I don't get in trouble,' a skull on Tsuna's neck shouted.

Tsuna slapped his hand over it, ashamed.

"It is a disease caused by getting shot with the Dying Will Bullet ten times," Reborn said, hopping up onto the sink. "Yesterday was the tenth."

"What happened yesterday that would require his Dying Will?" Nana demanded.

"Bianchi was going to kill Lambo," Reborn recounted. "As the Boss, it is Tsuna's job to control his subordinates."

"He _didn't_ stop that. I ran into both of them on the streets," Nana accused.

Tsuna didn't really want to tell her how whatever weird bullet Reborn had used this time made his entire face swell-up so he could, in Reborn's own words, 'stare them into submission'. It didn't work.

Reborn shrugged.

Both Tsuna and Nana wanted to start banging their heads against the wall.

"How is Shamal supposed to cure this?" Nana focused on the important part.

"Do you know his abilities?"

Nana sighed heavily. Couldn't he just answer a damn question without turning it around? "He's a doctor. A good one. He uses dynamite and mosquitos to fight."

"Mosquitos?" Tsuna frowned. He shrunk down when his lower back cried 'I only walk to school by myself because I'm scared to be left behind'.

Nana looked at him with concern. She had already decided not to bring up anything the skulls said with him. Not unless he wanted to talk about them. That didn't mean that what they were saying didn't worry her. Or hurt to hear.

"Mosquitos carry disease easily," she said instead. "Apparently he uses them to transmit specific diseases when he fights. It's enough to kill someone, depending on the disease."

Tsuna paled.

"That's how he stops life-threatening disease," Reborn tagged on. "He doesn't 'cure' them, he counteracts them with another disease."

Nana opened his arms in the universal gesture of 'what the fuck'. "He stops people from being sick, by making them _more sick_?!"

Reborn nodded, poking at one of the skulls hidden on the back of Tsuna's left shoulder. "If you have something that makes your blood boil, he gives you something that makes your blood freeze. They equal out."

"And that _works?"_ Tsuna gapped.

'I'm still afraid of the dark!'

Tsuna buried his face in his hands.

"He's the most renowned Doctor in the mafia."

Nana pinched the bridge of her nose. "If… if he does that, will there be any other side effects?"

"No."

She sighed. "Will he ever have to worry about your stupid Dying Will Bullets again?"

"No, the Skull Disease is the only side-effect. It's a small price to pay for the benefits of using the Dying Will Bullets, especially if you have an easy cure at hand."

"Fucking hell," Nana grumbled. Tsuna nodded in agreement. "When is Shamal getting here?"

The doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Lavina called.

'_How long have we been in here?'_ Nana pulled out her phone. If Lavina was up it had to at least be midmorning. She'd heard Tsuna hyperventilating in the bathroom around five when she had woken up to an aching pain in her back. It had taken a little while for him to let her in, and she had not been happy with what she had found.

It was eight. Great. Weren't they supposed the be getting a guest today too? Or tomorrow? Reborn had offhandedly mentioned a student of his showing up at some point, but Nana had been having an eating competition with Tsuyoshi at the time so it was a little difficult to remember the details.

"Mom?" Tsuna sounded small.

"Yeah?" she smiled comfortingly at him.

"Can I… Can I be alone? I don't want anyone hearing."

'I am a coward!'

Nana ruffled his hair, kissing his forehead. "Of course. I'm going to go talk to Doctor Shamal and get everything settled. Why don't you go out to the garden? No one will bother you there."

"Okay," he whispered.

Nana stared down at Reborn. "You're leaving too."

"Of course," he tipped his hat.

They walked downstairs together, Tsuna shrugging on his large orange hoodie as he went. As soon as he was out the back door Nana whirled on Reborn. "_When_ were you going to tell me about this?"

"Never," he replied honestly. "With Shamal the danger is very small. He'll be cured within the hour. I didn't see the need to concern you."

"_Anything_ that hurts Tsuna concerns me."

Reborn stared up at her for a moment, thoughtful. He motioned for her to lean down.

Nana sighed, kneeling so they were closer to eye level.

"Tsuna is going to be in danger all the time," Reborn reminded her. "That is the path he walks. I was hired to make him strong and that means he is going to get hurt from time to time."

Nana frowned.

"I was also hired to keep him safe," he added, patting Leon. "So whatever danger he gets into he will always get out of it because I am there."

"And if something gets past you?"

Reborn smirked. He tilted his fedora. "I am the greatest hitman in the world. Nothing gets past me."

Nana sighed, folding her arms. She wanted to argue against that but Reborn's track record really did speak for itself. It was irritating that the thought of Reborn at Tsuna's side actually made her less worried for his safety, even if it did increase her worry for his _sanity._

"I _do_ trust you to keep him safe," she admitted begrudgingly. "And that whatever you do, you do out of necessity. And to be a petty asshole sometimes, don't think I don't notice that."

His smirk grew.

"Still, I'd like to know about these things beforehand. Just because I trust you to handle them doesn't mean I won't panic about it. If you know something is about to happen to him, please tell me. I'll try my best to leave it in your hands, I won't interfere."

Reborn blinked his beady eyes up at her. "You swear to that? You will not interfere in my lessons?"

"I-," Nana hesitated. "If I truly think he's about to get hurt, _really_ hurt, then I'm going to protect him. You can't ask me not to. But… if you ask me not to interfere at any other time I promise to do my best to hold back. I don't trust you with a lot of things, but I can see you really are just trying to help my son. If nothing else, I trust you to protect him when he needs it."

Nana twitched, surprised when he jumped up onto her shoulder.

"Tsuna is going to be the Tenth boss of the Vongola. He can't do that if he's dead."

Nana stood up, only kind of trying to knock him off with the movement. He didn't even budge. "You're not fooling anyone, you know. It's pretty obvious you've got a soft spot for Tsuna."

"Don't be ridiculous," Reborn rolled his eyes. "A hitman does their job well, without feelings attached."

Nana snorted. "You live off this kind of shit. And Tsuna's too sweet not to love. You already adore him."

Reborn probably would have kept arguing (as if he could miraculously change what Nana saw as fact) if they weren't interrupted by a sharp sound like a slap coming from down the stairs.

"Don't touch her," Lavina sounded furious.

"Ah, another gem with strength to match her beauty! You must be the wonderful Lavina-chan I've heard so much about," an unfamiliar male's voice cooed.

Reborn hopped down. "I'm going to go grab Tsuna. You should welcome your guest."

From what they'd heard Nana wasn't sure she wanted to.

"What's going on?" Ryu's voice wondered from below. "Lavina-san is everything- _you_."

Aaand that was Nana's cue to run down the stairs. The hatred in Ryu's voice was something new, and not something she wanted to be encouraged.

A tall man in a lab coat was smiling widely at Lavina, Bianchi, and Ryu. He had his arms open, as though he was going to hug them.

"Is everything okay in here?" Nana cut between them, playing peacekeeper as best she could.

"Nana-san," Ryu stared daggers at the man that had to be Shamal. "This degenerate should not be in your house."

Nana looked at him, astonished. The greatest upholder of social niceties and absolute politeness, second only to Hanazawa-san herself, looked ready to stab Shamal in the eye.

"I agree," Lavina only added to the shock. She was holding Bianchi's hands, glaring icily at the doctor. "He clearly has no idea how to respect personal space."

"I can kill him," Bianchi offered her solution, looking very unimpressed.

"Whoa, no," Nana waved her hands. "He's here to help Tsu-kun, no killing."

Bianchi looked disappointed (what was with the Gokudera siblings and their lust for murder?).

Lavina looked concerned. "Is something wrong with Tsuna-chan?"

"He's… sick," Nana explained. "Reborn said it's Skull Disease and so he called someone to help."

"Shamal," Bianchi drawled. "_Help_."

...Nana didn't like the way she said that.

She also really, really didn't like the way a pair of arms wrapped around her shoulders.

"You must be the charming house owner. My name is Shamal," he rested his chin on Nana's head.

Well. This was very uncomfortable. Nana brushed his arms off quickly, stepping away. She held her hand out to stop Lavina who was now flushed an angry red.

"Please don't touch me."

"Of course," Shamal did a weird flourish with his hand. "We'll save that for later then.

...Eugh.

"I am Sawada Nana," Nana soldiered on. She had a sick son in need of help. "Are you Shamal?"

"You've heard of me," he smirked, eyebrows wiggling in a way that made Nana want to shave them off.

"You were called here to help my son," Nana deadpanned.

Shamal stepped towards her again. Lavina was suddenly in front of Nana, standing taller than she had in years.

"Nana, why don't you go get Tsuna-chan?" Lavina said calmly, staring the bearded man down. "You can take Ryu-_kun_ with you, to start breakfast. Bianchi-chan and I will stay with Shamal."

"Uh," Nana blinked when Bianchi stood at Lavina's shoulder, arms crossed. "Okay? Are you two alright?"

She didn't really want to leave them alone with this weirdo, but she knew they could take care of themselves. Plus, Ryu _did_ look like he was going to either implode or straight-up murder someone.

"We're fine. Go find Tsuna-kun," Bianchi shifted her weight, one hand on her hip now. The narrow set of her eyes made her look like Hayato.

"Okay," Nana said again, slowly. She placed a hand carefully on Ryu's shoulder. "Let's go to the kitchen Ryu-kun."

For a second she thought Ryu was going to shake her off. He looked down at her, lines of tension along his cheeks and forehead that mirrored Hanazawa-san so much it made Nana feel like she'd been hit by a blast of deja vu.

He sighed, relaxing a bit. "...Alright."

Nana guided him down the hall, looking back over her shoulder until they were out of sight. Ryu was still tense.

She really wanted to know what was going on with him, he was always so laid back and sweet, but she also really needed to make sure Tsuna was okay. First she'd get him, then she'd check on her house guest.

"I'll be right back," she promised, patting him on the back and moving towards the back door.

-00-

The garden was one of Tsuna's favorite places in the house, besides his room and the kitchen. It was always peaceful and well cared for. He used to crawl through all the plants so they towered above his head while he pretended to go on adventures. Nana used to plant sunflowers in circles so that they would grow into a little hideaway he could play in. It was a place filled with warm memories, even in the winter. Of dirt-stained fingernails, laughter, and fun. It almost made it possible to forget the voices crying out his deepest, most shameful thoughts.

Almost.

'I pretend to talk like Takeshi in the mirror, so I can feel cool too!'

Tsuna scrubbed at his hip angrily. This was ridiculous. What kind of illness made talking _skulls_ appear on your body? That wasn't a thing! That's not how germs and sickness worked! He might not be very knowledgable about the medical field but even he knew when something was defying the laws of nature.

"Ah!"

The tiny cry made Tsuna jump.

The little girl from the other day, that had saved him and Lambo from the dog, was walking along the fence of their backyard.

She still looked angry, face scrunched up to the point she had her eyes closed. She motioned at Tsuna, speaking what sounded like… Chinese?

"I'm sorry," Tsuna apologized. "I-I don't really understand what you're saying. Something about a target? And yesterday? Um, thank you for that, by the way. Lambo and I really appreciated your help."

The girl shook her head, repeated the same sentence.

Tsuna scratched his head. He was really not very good at Chinese. "You're… looking for someone?"

She pointed at Tsuna harshly.

"You're looking for me?"

"She's here to kill you," Reborn said.

Tsuna shrieked, jumping away from the baby suddenly next to him. "Reborn! I told you to stop doing that!" He paused. "Kill me?"

"That's I-Pin," Reborn pointed at the little girl. "She's an assassin."

"Like Lambo?" Tsuna frowned. How many kids were assassins? That… didn't seem right.

'Sometimes I still mess up tying my shoes!'

Tsuna grimaced, scratching at his chest.

"No. I-Pin is a very accomplished assassin. Lambo is an idiot."

Ouch.

Also worrying.

I-Pin spoke again.

Tsuna looked at Reborn for translation.

"She said she only saved you yesterday because she didn't realize you were her target. She's here to kill you now. Be careful Tsuna, she's very strong."

"What?!"

I-Pin somersaulted off the fence, landing in a martial arts form Tsuna had never seen before. She started... eating a dumpling?

"W-wait, I don't think- gack!"

Tsuna gagged when she thrust her hand in the air. Suddenly his throat was closing up and tears clogged his eyes. He couldn't even hear what the newest skull was saying (something about Kyoko-chan and Kyo-kun again, great). What on earth just happened?! She hadn't even touched him! Was she psychic or something?!

"She's not psychic," Reborn, an apparent psychic, said, pulling out a gun. He shot the air next to Tsuna's head.

Tsuna fell to the ground gasping for breath. "W-what... just happened?"

Reborn cocked the gun, aiming it at I-Pin now. "I broke the vapor around you with a bullet."

"That's not-," Tsuna gapped at him. "That's not a _thing_! You can't break up vapors with- with bullets!"

"I just did. It's how her technique works. She uses Gyoza-ken. It's where she uses the smell of the extreme smell of the Gyoza dumpling, condensing it and sending it directly into her opponent's nose. It numbs their brain which makes your muscles give out after enough time has passed."

"She uses smells?" Tsuna wanted to call bullshit on that. That did not sound like something that could actually be done, but the little girl _did _have a dumpling in her hand. "That's kind of... lame."

Dying by dumpling sounded almost as pathetic as dying of shame. He'd have to do a coin toss or something.

I-Pin flinched back like she'd been struck. She started sweating heavily, gripping the bottom of her shirt and looking down.

Was she upset that he'd called her fighting lame? Oops.

Tsuna really, _really_ wanted to talk about the moving number circles that had randomly appeared on the girl's head because that was one of the most abnormal things he had ever seen (and he mourned the fact that it wasn't the _most_ abnormal thing in his life considering the talking skulls that marred his own body) but the girl was growing more upset by the second.

"I-I'm sorry," he stepped forward and kneeled down in front of her, keeping his voice soft. "I didn't mean to make fun of you. Are you alright?"

'I locked myself in my own locker once!'

Stupid skulls.

He reached for her, waiting to see if it was okay. When she didn't pull back he placed a hand on her head, marveling at the smoothness of her forehead as her little braid brushed between his thumb and forefinger.

"It's okay," he soothed, smiling as comfortingly as he could. Reborn had said she was trying to kill him, but she was clearly still a little girl. Kyo-kun tried to kill him all the time anyway, it wasn't like this was anything new. He jumped a little when I-Pin threw herself into his arms and clung to him. "U-um, there, there."

He hummed a little bit, like how Mom used to when he cried as a kid. They did it for Lambo now too, and since it seemed to work for both of them he hoped it would help her too.

"I-pin is drawn to people during the countdown due to overwhelming shyness," Reborn explained, coming to stand next to them. "When it reaches zero she explodes."

"Oh," Tsuna looked down at her, still patting her head. A meltdown was not something he wanted to deal with right now. "It's okay I-pin-chan. I-I'm shy too. You can hide for as long as you need."

Reborn watched intently as the countdown on I-pin's head suddenly faded before it got to zero. "Hmm, interesting."

"What is?" Tsuna looked down at him.

"You're good with children," Reborn said, filing the information away for later use.

"N-not really," Tsuna flushed, pleased with the praise. "I'm just… doing what Mom does."

"And Nana is good with children, which means by mimicking them successfully you hold some skill too."

Tsuna kept his eyes down, focused on the girl and the ground as he felt his ears burn.

"Having confidence in even your own minor abilities is an important part of being a Boss. No one will follow you if you don't believe in yourself."

Tsuna huffed through his nose. "I'm not going to be a boss." He shuffled a bit, getting more comfortable. It didn't seem like I-pin would be letting go any time soon. "...but thanks."

Reborn walked over to where I-Pin had been standing. There was a little scrap of paper on the ground.

"Is this your target?" he asked, picking it up.

I-Pin peeked up, nodding.

"This isn't Tsuna."

I-Pin gasped.

Reborn shook his head. "You are still inexperienced. Even if you are extremely near-sighted, you should never attack the wrong target."

Tsuna shook his head, exasperated. "Reborn-."

I-Pin stood, fists clenched. She nodded solemnly before bowing deeply to Tsuna. With a thumbs up she jumped back onto the fence and ran away.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"She's probably going to go train," Reborn hopped up and settled into Tsuna's hair. "She needs to get stronger."

"But she forgot the picture."

"It'll be fine. Fon will take care of it."

"Who-?"

The back door opened.

"Tsuna?" Nana looked over at him. She smiled softly. "Hey bud. The doctor is here, are you ready to see him?"

'Doctor visits always make me feel like an idiot!'

Tsuna curled in on himself when Nana's smile dropped into something more horrified.

"I'm ready," he grimaced.

-00-

"Yeah, sorry," Shamal shrugged. "I don't treat men."

"What?" Tsuna cried. He'd told Mom he could handle this on his own (he didn't want to see the scared expression in their eyes again) but now he regretted not asking her to come back to the main room with him. "What do you mean you don't treat men?!"

Bianchi scoffed, rolling her eyes. She was leaning by the stairs, clearly annoyed.

"I mean I only treat women. Tough luck kid, better say your goodbyes while you can." Shamal said it like it was a natural fact of the world. What kind of doctor was he?!

"Is that so," Lavina said, soft and calm.

Tsuna shivered.

"Um, Aunt Lavina?" Tsuna reached out to her hesitantly. He'd never seen such a lack of expression from her before.

Shamal smirked, brushing his hair back when he noticed her stare. "Ah, my lady. I see I've caught your eye once again."

Lavina turned. She walked calmly down the hall. Tsuna paled when he heard her call for his Mom.

"S-Shamal-san," he pleaded wincing at the cry of 'I still sleep with Plat-kun when I'm scared' from the back of his neck. "Please, you need to cure me. I don't know what Mom will do to you if-"

"_What?!"_

Reborn made a soft hum in the back of his throat. He stepped away from Shamal.

A moment later Shamal was in the air, eyes wide as he gasped for breath. Nana's hand was clenched around his throat, holding him the air as her skin sparked dangerously.

"My son," Nana seethed, eyes bright and reflecting her Flames dangerously, "is _dying_. And _you,_" she tightened her grip, "refuse to cure him because he is a man?!"

As the seconds passed and her grip on his throat remained strong Shamal realized that his mosquitos weren't working.

"Nana's skin is like steel," Reborn informed him helpfully from the top of Tsuna's head. "Not many things can break through."

Shamal was pulled down, knees bending awkwardly once they touched the floor, so that he was eye-to-eye with the furious mother before him. "Will healing him hurt you at all?" Nana asked softly, venom just close enough to the surface of her voice to make goosebumps break out along Shamal's skin. "Will it cost you millions? Will it inconvenience you in any way?"

Shamal barely even noticed Lavina stepping back into the room, leaning against the wall and smiling happily.

"I've heard of you _Trident Shamal,"_ Nana said. Her fingers tightened when Shamal's hands twitched. The message was clear. "Curing my son, for a doctor like you, would take _seconds_. Barely the blink of an eye, with no loss to you. My son, who has been _nothing_ but welcoming to you. And you won't help him. Because he is a male? You came _all this way_ to tell him no? Crush his hope?"

Nana's other hand, that had been resting at her side, landed on his shoulder. She didn't bother looking up when Ryu came in, following her trail from the kitchen.

"I _was_ going to pay you for your service," Nana said, barely above a whisper. "Ask you to stay for dinner. Offer a _room_ if you need one while you were in Namimori. Now," she smiled, a simple curl of one corner, eyes narrowed into slits.

Tsuna shivered, uncomfortable with how similar his mom looked to Kyoya when he was feeling particularly bloodthirsty.

Nana shoved him down further so he was kneeling. She loomed over him, grip never faltering. "_Now_ you are going to heal my son for free. You will _always_ heal my son for free. If you ever refuse again I can promise no woman will step foot near you again _Shamal, _and not because of your sickening personality. No, they will avoid you because they will know, _everyone_ will know that the thing that makes you one of the _males_ you detest so much was ripped from your body and shoved down your throat."

Shamal went pale.

"Answer very carefully," Nana warned, loosening the death hold on his throat just enough for him to speak. "Are you going to heal my son?"

Shamal looked to Reborn. Surely he wouldn't let this happen. Not after all Shamal had done for him.

Reborn looked back, amused and with a spark of interest that meant whatever side he chose, it was not going to be Shamal's. He should have known, the young Vongoloa heir _was_ his charge.

"...Yes."

"Good," Nana smiled pleasantly. "Do it now."

She didn't let him go. Shamal swallowed heavily. He _could_ fake it and go for his dynamite instead, but he could read the situation. That plan was not going to end well, and if this woman's skin was as strong as Reborn said it was then he doubted it would really do anything to stop her.

He pulled out his case of pills, lifting it up high so he could see what he was doing. Picking out the Angel Disease capsule he released the mosquito within.

Nana watched it carefully as it was directed towards Tsuna.

Tsuna willed himself to stand still, waiting for the slight sting. He felt bad for Shamal, but his Mom looked really cool. He'd never seen her colors so razor-focused, arcing around her like carefully controlled strands of light.

He twitched when the Mosquito bit into his forearm.

"I'm afraid to know what Iemitsu looks-" the voice cut off mid-way. Tsuna watched in awe (and relief, thank god it had stopped talking) as the skulls lining his skin abruptly started to fade.

"Reborn?" Nana looked over at the hitman.

"He's cured," Reborn affirmed.

Nana turned, dragging Shamal by the throat behind her. Throwing open the front door she blinked once at the large group of strange men, all dressed in suits, in front of their home before lifting Shamal up in front of her. "If I call you, you show up. If I don't call you, you stay away." Nana's glare harshened. "And if you _ever_ touch a woman without their consent ever again _I_ will find _you_ and make good on my promise."

Nana threw him into the yard, barely missing a young blonde man (who was oddly _not_ dressed in a suit like the others) and slammed the door shut.

A second later there was a hesitant knock.

Nana ran a hand through her hair, huffing. She opened it.

The blonde man from before was smiling, a bead of sweat on his forehead.

"Hello, we're sorry to bother you. Does Sawada Tsuna live here?"

Nana smiled back, tired but genuine. "He does. Can I help you?"

The man seemed taken aback for a moment. "Oh. Um, yes. My name is Dino- uh, I mean Cavallone Dino."

Nana blinked. Then cursed. "Oh shit, that _was_ today wasn't it?" She stepped back, opening the door all the way. "I'm sorry, Reborn told me you were coming and I completely messed up the days. Please, come in." She turned to the hallway. "Reborn! Your student is here!"

"Student?!" Tsuna shrieked in response.

Nana chuckled a bit. It sounded like he was already feeling better. Good. She looked back at Dino, standing on her toes to peer over his shoulder at all the men behind him. "Uh, your friends are welcome too but we might not have enough room for everyone."

"That's fine!" Dino assured her, eyes wide. "Guys, you've got the rest of the day off. Don't cause any trouble."

The closest one, with dark shades and an even darker mustache, bowed. "So long as you are with Reborn we won't have to worry. Have fun Boss."

Dino glared at them, the effect ruined by the blush on his face. "Y-you guys..."

Nana felt some of the tension in her back melt away. Shamal was nowhere in sight (he must have booked it) and this Dino guy...

He reminded her of Tsuna.

"Welcome," Nana motioned him in, stepping back so he could get around her. "When I heard you were Reborn's student I have to admit I pictured something else."

Dino laughed, toeing off his shoes. "Did you think I'd be scary like him?"

Nana shrugged helplessly.

"Well I can't blame you for that. Are you Sawada Tsunayoshi's mom?"

Nana nodded. "Sawada Nana. Welcome to my home."

Dino bowed. "It's an honor to meet you."

Well, this was far better than Shamal. Nana already liked Dino. Twice as much, since he showed up right after Shamal set and asshole standard Nana didn't even know she needed.

"Tsuna?" Nana leaned around the entryway. "I know you're probably tired. Why don't you talk to Cavallone-san up in your room and I'll get some food ready, okay?"

"Mom," Tsuna begged. "He's Reborn's student. I don't think I can handle that right now."

Nana nodded. "I totally get that, I thought he was going to be crazy too. He seems normal and nice though. Just talk until you have something to eat, you can't skip any meals after being sick. I'm sure it will be fine, and Hayato will be right next door if anything crazy happens."

The look on her son's face said that Hayato being there would only make things worse.

"Don't worry Sawada-san," Dino stepped up next to her, grinning down at Tsuna. "I'll only stay until lunch! That way he can rest right after."

"Thank you," Nana bowed her head a bit. "You two head on up, I'll make some snacks."

"I'll also be up there," Reborn told her, looking expectant.

Nana squinted at him. "You invited Shamal."

"He saved Tsuna."

"He was a dick."

"But Tsuna is alive."

Nana glared at him. "...Fine. But only one dessert and you're on dish duty for the rest of the week."

"Coffee as well or no deal."

"Fine."

Appeased Reborn took his usual perch in Tsuna's hair.

"Oh, Dino is staying with us as well."

Nana threw her hands in the air. "For fucks sake Reborn we see each other every day! All you had to do was ask!"

Reborn smirked.

Tsuna slumped under the weight on his head. He looked up at Dino who was staring gobsmacked at Nana. "We should probably head up. They'll argue forever if we don't."

"...Alright."

Nana watched them go, flipping Reborn off once Tsuna was turned away. Reborn smirked, tipping his hat at her.

What a prick.

"Nana-san," Ryu said solemnly. Nana turned to him, blinking when he laid a hand on her shoulder. "You are my hero."

"Uh… thank you?" She tilted her head. "What brought this on?"

"Shamal is a revered doctor," Ryu shook his head, "but he is an unconscionable flirt and pervert. The way you handled him was quite beautiful."

"Shamal?" Shouto stumbled out of the hallway, hair ruffled and clothes askew. He look like he'd run out of bed. He also looked pissed. "That bastard was here? Did he say anything to you?"

"No, no," Ryu assured, stepping over to brush his hand through Shouto's hair in a vain attempt to tame it. "Not to me, at least. Nana-san took care of it."

Shouto turned to her now. Nana was surprised to note the worry in his eyes. "Are you alright? Do you feel sick? Did you feel anything sharp when dealing with him, or did he put his hands on you?"

"I'm fine," Nana promised, smiling. "Everything was taken care of."

Shouto only looked more concerned by her vague answer but Ryu seemed happy enough to fill in the blanks.

"It was wonderful Shou, I should have woken you up but then I would have missed it."

Lavina, ever the gossip, rushed over to add her own view of the story. Nana rolled her eyes fondly when even Bianchi joined in.

"You all catch Shouto-kun up, I'm going to go finish breakfast." She looked at the clock. "Or early lunch. Our eating schedules are so off lately, we need to fix that."

Lavina frowned. "Nana, you look exhausted. I can handle breakfast, why don't you go take a nap?"

Nana wanted to turn her down but the last few hours had been a lot. It didn't help that she hadn't been sleeping well the past few nights.

"Are you sure Lavina? I can at least make something for everyone to eat."

"No," Lavina pushed at her shoulders so she was facing the stairs. "You have done enough today, go get some sleep."

"I've barely done anything, it's only-"

"To bed Nana!"

Nana laughed, stumbling a bit at the next push. "Okay, okay. I'll see you when I wake up okay?"

"Sleep well Nana-san," Ryu bowed his head, still grinning from ear-to-ear.

"Naps are the best," Shouto nodded wisely.

Nana waved at them, trudging up the stairs. She wasn't meeting up with Kyoya today, Reborn wanted Tsuna and Dino to bond or something so she'd deal with roping in the Cavallone Famiglia tomorrow, and her day off had suddenly turned into a very angry and stressful event.

At least everything was solved for now.

Nana threw herself on her bed, melting into the mattress. She yawned, kicking at the covers until she could wrap herself up like a worm.

Ten minutes later she glared at the ceiling, the silence buzzing in her ears angrily.

"Fuck."

-00-

Nana was woken up by a turtle.

A gigantic, five-foot-four turtle with a tail that was so strong it stabbed through her bedroom wall from the bathroom and left a huge gash along her carefully settled wallpaper.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!"

"I'm sorry Sawada-san!" Dino called, using a whip as a noose to knock the turtle out in the bathroom.

Tsuna was a little further down the hall, pale and wide-eyed.

"One day!" Nana stormed out of her room, the destruction of the bathroom only making her even angrier. "I wanted one day where I could just relax and be around my family! That's all I wanted!"

"M-Mom..."

Nana reached out, patting his head as she passed. "It's not your fault Tsu-kun, the world just fucking sucks sometimes. Don't worry about it, I'm just grumpy."

Ignoring everything and everyone else Nana marched down the stairs and into the kitchen. If they were all smart enough they'd leave her alone for a while to calm down. She didn't even know why she was so upset, it wasn't like anything happened that she couldn't handle. She was just... angry.

Nana looked at the clock. It was 9pm. She'd slept the entire day away.

She felt like she'd slept for five minutes.

Making a high-pitched, frustrated sound in the back of her throat she started pulling out anything in the fridge that looked like it would make a good meal. There was already a few things made. Left-overs from lunch and what looked like dinner. Lavina must have wanted her to take it easy the whole day.

Nana started making everyone's lunches for tomorrow.

Eventually the sounds of chaos from upstairs faded away. Lavina came in to get some water at some point. She had given Nana a silent side-hug then left.

Nana loved Lavina.

Everyone probably already ate. Lambo would be in his room by now, playing still no doubt. He needed to get all of his energy out before he could sleep and Nana hadn't played their usual game of 'who is the fastest' that morning so he definitely would be raring to go. She'd need to go play monsters with him or something soon. Nana hadn't seen Hayato in the hallway earlier, but it was his usual study time. When that boy had a book in his hands she doubted a bomb going off could draw his attention away. Ryu and Shouto were probably in their rooms too. Michelle was back around seven every night. Bianchi was around somewhere too, most likely. It was late. Everyone was home.

Nana could hear the buzz of the fridge in the stifling quiet that fell upon the kitchen. For a while, all she could hear was the 'shck' of her knife as she cut through an onion. Slowly the buzzing sound grew.

Twenty minutes passed without a noise.

She couldn't take the silence anymore. Turning on the sink Nana ducked her head under it, letting the cool water run through her hair and over her face.

"_Nana."_

"Shit!" Nana straightened, slamming the back of her head into the nozzle of the sink. "Fuck, ow!"

"_I apologize, I didn't mean to startle you," _Snake said, calm as ever. "_Are you alright?"_

"Am _I _alright? Jesus Snake, you've been gone for days! Are _you_ alright?" Nana cradled her head, wet strands of hair slapping her face. She dug through the closest drawer for a washcloth, dabbing at her face and hair. Damn her head hurt now.

"_I am fine," _Snake said, sounding completely normal and like he hadn't disappeared out of fucking nowhere.

Too much. There was too much and not enough going on and Nana suddenly wanted to cry.

"You've ignored me for _days_ Snake. I was seriously starting to think something happened to you," Nana blinked rapidly. "You can't just- you can't just duck out like that. It freaked me out."

"_I apologize for worrying you."_

Nana rested her hands along the edge of the sink. A few minutes later she realized that was all he was going to say about it.

"Is there a reason you didn't answer?" Nana pressed. Her heart was still pounding. She had to take long, even breaths just to keep from breaking down.

"_Yes."_

"...Do you want to talk about it?"

"_Not particularly."_

Nana pursed her lips. He was gone for days. _Days_. With no word on if he was even alive (which was seriously unlikely but the silence made her worry about every tiny thing). She'd already guessed at why, but that was no guarantee. She could push for more answers. He owed her that much and he had _promised_ to be as honest as he could with her. If she demanded more, he'd probably cave and tell her at least something.

Nana closed her eyes.

"Okay," she said.

Then she finished putting the leftovers away in the lunchboxes for tomorrow.

"_...Thank you."_

Nana hummed in response.

"_May I ask what happened in my absence? I checked to make sure nothing had gone wrong but I realize I have missed many things nonetheless."_

So he'd checked up on her. There was that much, at least.

Nana started complaining, hands flying as she filled him on what he'd missed. There was, surprisingly, a lot to talk about. It had been a while since she had truly complained to someone. Let out all the petty bullshit she had allowed to build.

It felt nice. The buzzing tension beneath her skin started to fade with every word. Every _response_.

Half-way through talking about the disaster that had been _Shamal_, her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"...I punched him," the whispered voice squeaked, trembling so much it took a moment for Nana to translate what they had said.

"What?" Nana pulled her phone back, checking the caller ID. It was Miyu. Nana slammed the phone back onto her ear. "You punched Kouske? Where? Was it awesome? Did you get a picture?"

"Nana," Miyu cried, sounding closer and closer to a teakettle. "It's- it was horrible! I thought he was going to block, or dodge, or-or something! But he didn't! What do I do?!"

Nana's face scrunched up as she tried her best to follow the rapid-fire words. "Miyu, you need to calm down a little bit. Take some deep breaths."

There were a few soft inhales and exhales, all short and too sharp. She was trying though.

"Okay," Nana kept her voice soothing but she couldn't stop the slight smile starting to form. "Now, you said he didn't try to dodge right?"

"Y-yes. He should have, he did the whole time before, but not the last time. I… I don't know _why_."

"He didn't say?"

"Well, he did," she got even quieter, "but I didn't quite understand what he was trying to say and he- his face, it's so hard to tell how he is feeling but he didn't seem angry even though I'd hit him in the face, but-"

"You're starting to freak out again," Nana said, stopping her before she could start hyperventilating again. "Start out simple, okay? What did he say after you hit him?"

"H-he just said 'good job' and that we were done for the day. And I had apologized right away of course, but I didn't start to worry about it until I was on my way home because what if he sent me home so quickly after that because he was hurt and he just didn't want me to see? Or what if-?"

Nana laughed.

"Nana!"

"I-I'm sorry!" she tried to smother it with her hand but it wasn't really working. "I'm sorry Miyu, but Kouske definitely did _not_ send you home because he was too hurt. It's almost seven, he sent you home because he wanted you to be home before the sun went all the way down."

"But I _hit him_."

"And he said 'good job'," Nana said, grinning as she leaned against the counter. "I'm pretty sure you've noticed, but Kouske is not a normal person. I once saw him stop a speeding car with his _hands_."

"Really?!" she whispered, a bit muffled. Nana could already picture her holding her hand over her mouth, eyes wide in shock.

"Oh yeah. So, knowing that, if you hit him in the face it was because he _let_ you. Probably to get an accurate read on how strong you were, or just to let you get off some steam. He likes you, he'd let you do that."

"H-he doesn't like me," Miyu disagreed immediately.

"We all like you, Miyu," Nana assured her, the corners of her eyes crinkling when she could hear bird-like flustered sounds. "Did the rest of the training go well?"

"Oh yes, I learned so much and he was very patient with me. I was so surprised by how- how comfortable it all was. I didn't feel scared even once!"

"That fantastic," Nana softened. "That right there already shows he cares. He didn't want you to feel scared, the whole lesson was about making you feel strong, right?"

"T-that's what I was wishing for, but I never told him that," she grew quieter and quieter.

"He knew," Nana said. "Trust me, he always knows. And you have another lesson with him next week right?"

"I-I do."

"Then he isn't upset with you. Trust him, Miyu, he would never have let you punch him if he didn't think it was helping you." She paused, thoughtful. "...It felt pretty awesome, right?"

Miyu was quiet for a long second. "...It did," she admitted shamefully.

"I hit him in the face once too."

"You did?!"

"It was flippin sweet. He had a huge bruise all along the side of his face for _days_."

There was some weird static, like she was moving the phone around. "...and he wasn't angry? Or upset that you'd hit him?"

"We had been sparing," Nana explained. "And it's really different to get bruises from a fair, equal grounds match than from a one-sided attack."

She let out a stuttered breath.

"It wasn't wrong to feel good about landing a hit," Nana said gently. "You both were having fun, and you both knew what you were getting into. You didn't hurt him, his face is practically made of steel, and he never hurt you right?"

"...Yes."

"Then it's okay. You had a good lesson, you made progress, and you had fun. You had a good day."

"I did have a good day," she said quietly, more to herself than Nana.

"I'm happy for you Miyu," Nana cheered, keeping her voice low enough that it wouldn't hurt Miyu's ears on the other end. "Now all you have to do is go home, see your beautiful kids, and know that there are more days like this coming your way."

"I have another lesson next week," she breathed, the words tinged with amazement.

"You have another lesson next week," Nana agreed.

"This was- I don't even know- I feel so _light,"_ her voice sounded watery. Choked. "I… I can't even remember the last time I felt this way. I- oh my gosh. Nana. I hit _Hibari Kouske!"_

"You did!" Nana cheered her on, blinking against the light prickle in her eyes. "You're a warrior!"

"I-," she choked, like the words weren't allowed to pass her lips. She inhaled, long and deep, before trying again. "I'm a warrior!"

It was whispered fast. Half scared, half excited.

Nana didn't know how long this burst of wonderful, breathtaking self-confidence would last (it was only the beginning, but it was _progress_) but she prayed that it lasted as long as it possibly could. Until she could feel that every day, more often than not, and she could scream the words that described her very soul instead of whispering them in the fear that they would be stolen away from her.

"You're so cool, Miyu."

The flustered bird sounds returned.

"I-I need to get home. I want to see Kyoko and Ryohei. I _need _to see them. I… I'm going to run home!"

Nana chuckled. "You can do it. I believe in you."

"Thank you Nana," she sounded a bit nasally and a whole lot happy. "Thank you so much."

"Thank Kouske, and doubly thank yourself. I was just here to listen."

"Thank you," she said again before hanging up. From the sounds of it she had already started running.

"Damn," Nana beamed. A handful of minutes ago and she'd felt like she was going to explode. She had been tired and grumpy and overwhelmed even though nothing dramatic was going on anymore. Now she felt her blood racing for action, inspired to do more. She felt energized. "Miyu is so fucking cool."

"_She is."_

All the tension, all the underlying static that had been prickling beneath Nana's skin for days as the silence built, and built until it was all she could hear, faded.

"I feel like running too."

"_Best not to, the sun has long since set. Perhaps playing tag with Bovino Lambo would be a better use of your energy."_

"Snake, you are on a roll lately. I don't think I've ever agreed with you so often before."

"_You are exaggerating. Heavily. There have been numerous times where you have-"_

"Don't ruin this!" Nana crossed her arms in an 'x' in front of her chest.

If Snake kept sighing like that he was going to deflate. Nana blinked, a little to fast to be normal, as she felt herself settle back into her skin. Things were back to normal. Everything was fine.

"Lambo!" Nana called, hopping out of the room and to the stairs. "Do you want to play tag?"

Maniacal laughter answered his call.

What a cute kid.

"Tsuna, Dino," Reborn's voice sounded. "Go join."

"Are you playing?"

An odd clicking noise. "Of course."

"Then no. Why would I- Gah! Fine, fine, I'll play!"

"If Tsuna is playing then so am I!" Hayato's voice declared.

"Octopus head loses."

"What?! OI! We haven't even started playing you little brat!"

"Lambo-san wins!"

Nana sweatdropped.

The noise drew Ryu out of his room. "Everyone sounds very excited today, is something going on?"

"We're going to play tag," Nana told him, leaning against the railing. "I didn't think so many people would join though. I'll have to make some snacks."

"I'll join."

"Fricken- would you _stop _that!" Nana jumped a full three feet away from Shouto when he materialized next to them.

Ryu shook his head, eyes closed in exasperation.

"This sounds fun," Michelle walked down the hall towards them, already dressed in her pajamas. "I'll join as well, if that's alright."

"Of course!" Nana perked up. Michelle was almost never home to join in on the house weirdness. They'd have to make this extra special then. "Lavina! Come keep score! We're going to play tag with everyone!"

"Coming!"

Ryu tilted his head. "Keep score? Is this not like regular tag?"

Nana smirked evilly. "We play the version Lavina and I learned in school. There's a few… additions to the game to make it more interesting."

Lavina walked down the stairs, a notebook clutched in one hand while she used the other to hold the railing. Nana seriously needed to get her to want to move onto the main floor. Maybe if they turned the piano room into her bedroom as well?

"I'll explain the rules," she said, once she was at the bottom. "It's more like hide-and-seek, capture the flag, and tag all mixed into one."

Shouto and Michelle looked fascinated. Ryu already looked tired but he seemed willing to give a try.

Nana left them to it and returned to the kitchen to make a quick fruit plate for a snack. They'd need the energy.

"_Try not to break your hand this time."_

"Will you ever let that go?" Nana said. "I was sick that day, I wasn't at my best."

"_Neither was Beccio Caterina and yet she still managed to win the entire event with not even a scratch."_

"We agreed to never mention her again," Nana warned, scowling.

"_It was a long time ago Nana, you need to let this go."_

"I'm not letting it go until she makes me a new necklace!"

"_It was an accident-"_

"It was intentional!" Nana swore. "She looked devious and we all knew she was secretly evil! No one is that perfect! No one!"

"_The Yamamoto family."_

"...No _human_ is that perfect! The Yamamoto's are angels." Nana corrected. "And I stand by my decision."

"_You are ridiculous."_

"Damn straight," she nodded briskly. "Now shut up. I need to get mentally prepared for this."

Snake huffed but obliged. Nana, more aware than she had ever been before, noticed the difference in the silence now opposed to the one that had been haunting her.

"Hey, Snake?"

"_Yes Nana?"_

"I know you don't want to talk about, you know, what happened," she trailed off.

"_...I am sorry."_

"No, no, it's okay," Nana assured, pulling out some fruits and vegetable from the fridge. "It's not- you don't have to tell me. I meant it when I said that. It's just…" she cleared her throat. She could feel a bit of heat crawl up her neck but this was important to say so she ignored it. "I missed you."

"_Oh."_

Nana finished cutting everything up and arranging it on the plate. She didn't mind this silence, it was a more expected one. She didn't need a response either, she just wanted him to know that someone missed him when he wasn't there.

"Alright nerds," Nana sang as she went back to the main room. Everyone was sitting in a circle around Lavina looking excited (Lambo, Hayato, and- scarily enough- Reborn), confused (Ryu and Tsuna), scared (also Tsuna, and Dino), or just reservedly intrigued (Michelle and Shouto). "We all set?"

"I just finished explaining. Any questions?" Lavina asked, looking at them all with a cheery little smile.

Tsuna's hand shot up.

"Yes Tsuna-chan?"

"...Do we _really_ need the death strikes?"

"Of course! They're the best part!"

"Don't worry little brother," Dino patted his back, grinning. "I'll look out for you."

"Little brother?" Tsuna sweatdropped. "And none of your men are here…"

"Hm?" Dino tilted his head.

"Nothing," Tsuna sighed.

"Let's draw for teams," Nana settled the tray between all of them, slapping Shouto's hand away so everyone else could get something first. That tall man pouted, cradling his hand to his chest like a kitten. Wimp.

Lavina drew out the sticks, adding everyone's names to them. As she threw them in a bag and shook them Nana sat down on the couch and stretched. This was going to be fun.

"_Nana."_

"Yeah?" she beamed.

"_...I missed you as well."_

Nana swallowed. She looked up, blinking.

"Mom?"

"Let's do this!" Nana cheered loudly, making everyone around her jump. "My team is totally going to win this."

"I think not," Lavina shook her head, waving at the first two sticks that had been drawn. "_My _team always won."

Nana rolled her eyes. "Only because you got Beatrice and Juliet on your side. You're on your own this time Lavina!"

Dino laughed, easily drawn into the theatrics.

Tsuna groaned from deep within his soul as Lambo tugged at his hair excitedly.

It was going to be a long night.

**-00-**

**Yeah, I don't really like Shamal. Later on in Canon he had some potential to be a likable character to me, but the things that made me dislike him (consent motherfucker, do you speak it?!) were too strong to make it anything other than potential. And Nana has some very strong morals. So... yeah. Nana and Shamal (most people and Shamal) do not get along. At all. That _might_ change one day but... eh. We'll see.**

**I know I said we're charging through the Daily Life Arc, but that honestly isn't why there's so much crammed into this chapter. I had this whole disaster mess planned for awhile, Nana needed a day of pure unwanted chaos to reach that stress limit. Everyone needs a day off!**

**We're steadily reaching the end of the Daily Life Arc, or at least the parts I'm keeping in the main story. If you have a particular chapter or episode I'm skipping over (like that one where Nana gets pickpocketed and everyone gets pissed XD) that you want to see just let me know. I'm going to add more Daily Life stuff in the side story 'Taking No Crap from Nobody' to keep providing content when a chapter is taking too long so I'm happy to cover any of those. **

**Snake says hello again!**

**Yuki Nagasawa: Oh yeah! It had sounded so familiar and I was wracking my brain, thank you for telling me! That would totally be Snake XD My friend, you are the literal bomb. A list of side-characters, just there for whenever an opportunity should arise? BEAUTIFUL! That's honestly how I fill in planned moments where a side character would add that extra splash of color I need to set the scene. I have a huge long list of random OC's (first ones that are offered from lovely readers and then my own) to plug in as needed. You have just given me even more! You are wonderful! I'm so happy you love my story so much! Thank you!**

**Kirie Mitsuru: Ohhh, a fellow archiver (either reader or writer, we're all a badass community)! Hello! I'm glad you like it enough to read it on both sights! You... are crazy nice. How could I possibly mind feedback? Especially nice feedback from someone so kind! Please, don't feel obligated to, but know that all of your responses are met with gratitude and happy tears. The Hibari family is awesome! I adore them! and the OT3 is seriously winning me over. The flow of their interactions is great, it's really enjoyable to write. Speeding through the Daily Life Arc is becoming a goal. Not so fast as to destroy pacing and stuff, but definitely getting through it quickly. Thank you for noticing! Let me know if you think I'm rushing too fast (if you want to), I don't want to overdo it. Bittersweet is usually as sad as I'm willing to make an ending, but I'm typically a happy ending sort of author. Angst galore, of course, throughout the entire story but a happy/content ending is usually my final goal. Fair warning, ten-year later arc? ...Not happy. You've been warned! Seriously, thank you for your amazingly kind words. It really does do a lot to make me feel confident in my writing and motivate me to continue. I really appreciate it. Thank you.**

**ChaosHearth: Enma is flippin adorable! I've already written some stuff with him cause I'm so excited to get there (and current plot brain needs a break from time to time). It's gonna be awesome!**

**4everfictional: And thank YOU for being so sweet again!**

**ADDBaby: Gah! That energy! It's contagious! Seriously, you're such an energized writer, I love it. Sorry about your dentist XD If you're this affected by the current teacher/student bonding I can't wait to see how you'll react later *evil laughter* And the deal with future Lambo... *more evil laughter* Oh thank goodness, you really thought the action scene was good? That's one of my greatest weaknesses in my eyes. I struggle with keeping written action flowing and understandable. I'm glad this one turned out well! You're as sweet as sugar my friend, and I always enjoy hearing from you! You give me an extra dose of energy to get through my day, and I am grateful for it. You rock!**

**Mel Writer: You're making me do a little dance! Having someone ask 'is this gonna happen?!' with anticipation, for _my_ story, is just a huge uplift to my mood. Seriously, I'm glad you like it so much. The ship is sailing strong right now, and it is really winning me over. They're a lot of fun to write! Thank you for being as kind as ever Mel, you're the best!**

**Anya: Haha, that sounds hilarious! Just the complete personality switch, cause life does that, makes me giggle. For your love of Kyoya, you are not alone! I adore his character (even though he was hard to get a handle on writing) and I'm glad you like how he's being portrayed here! I try to avoid oocness as much as possible, so people that adore the character are a must to make sure I don't let that happen. I will do my best to keep going strong! All these wonderful responses are certainly helping me keep the energy I need to continue, so know that you are forever appreciated!**

**bloodshound: Oh geez. That is more than okay, I'm so startled that you'd want to! It's very flattering, thank you. I love Tsuna's POV and the interesting revelations he has (and you have) by the way he observes the people around him. It also helps me figure out how to be more descriptive without becoming repetitive (hopefully) so it's nice skill building too. How Flames affect one another will be covered more later, when he starts exploring that ability more instead of just living with how it is now. Kusakabe is so cool! Nana knew about the ten-year-bazooka from Reborn but they haven't really seen it in action besides the one time (and even that was a little hard for them to believe). This was the first time really witnessing it and they just... kind of process it like they process everything weird in Namimori. Accept it and move on XD. The Hibari family is a delight to write, especially because of how outrageous their logic is XD I adore it. Nana is going to have some very strong reactions to the whole Skull Disease thing. Very strong. Thank you for your kind understanding as always. And thank you for the OC! I have a good idea in mind for when Natsuhiko shows up, I'll PM you (if that's okay) when we get closer to that moment! We're getting into the Italy stuff soon so it will be after that. For any OC's that I need, the only thing coming up that needs a significant amount of them is Nana's old classmates. I already have a decent amount, so I can easily make do with what I have but a few more minor ones won't ever go wrong. They don't even have to be currently living (as morbid as that sounds) since they're mafia. I have another list of classmates that are unfortunately not around anymore so those work too. For any other OC I could always use some for Tsuna's classmates. He's starting to become more outgoing, so talking to people at school is a thing that will happen more and more. Especially since I built up that Natsuki was their counselor for so long. They're are going to be a... unique batch of kiddos. I can't wait! Sorry for the ramble, honestly I could make just about anything work, but those are what are coming up the soonest that _need_ OC's. Make of it what you will! Thank you as always friend! You're a delight to hear from.**

**Megi Keishii: Tsuyoshi- It was too dark T-T XD Not that he wouldn't try anyway. There's probably some horribly video out there of random spark of green in the dark with Tsuyoshi giggling in the background. XD Glad you liked it friend!**


	24. Breaking Bridges

**Moved into my new apartment and it's pretty sweet! All that work is finally paying off and I'm loving it. Not loving how long it took to get this done, though. Hope you all enjoy anyway!**

**Lambo/Nana day**

**Tsuna makes too many choices**

**Kouske isn't a monster**

**I-Pin joins the fray**

**Sleepovers are fun**

**-00-**

Breaking Bridges

**-00-**

"Maman."

"Mgh," Nana twisted their face against the pillow, hair dragging to get lodged in their mouth. "Mha?"

"Maman," Lambo pushed at their face again, kneeling next to their pillow.

"_Bovino Lambo seems to have had a nightmare."_

Nana lifted their head, blinking blearily at the young boy. Lambo stared back with wide, wobbling eyes.

"Hey bud," Nana reached out, cupping his cheek in one hand. Lambo buried his face in it, sniffing. "Want to stay here tonight?"

He nodded, burrowing into the blankets. Nana curled around him, holding him close.

"Wanna know what I do when I have a nightmare?" Nana hummed, rubbing his back when he shivered. The vast differences between Lambo and a young Tsuna had been driving them a bit insane, trying to figure out how to handle each situation, but when it came to nightmares? Nana was a fucking pro.

One green eye peered up at them. Nana wiped away the stray tear there.

"Maman has nightmares?"

"Of course," Nana said. "Everyone has nightmares sometimes."

"Even Reborn?"

"...Uh-huh." Probably.

Lambo leaned back enough to reveal the rest of his face. He looked like his mind was exploding. Nana could relate.

"How do you beat them?"

"Well," Nana started, running their hand through his afro (it was hard to keep that thing clean, seeing as how he stuck everything within arms reach in there), "there are a few different ways. The first one is to get help. You're very smart to have figured that one out all by yourself, good job Lambo!"

Lambo giggled, puffing out his chest with pride.

"The second one is to have a protector with you, to watch over you while you sleep. They keep the bad dreams away."

"Like Maman?" Lambo bounced a little. Nana weighed him down more with their arm. The added weight settled him easily. They'd look into getting him a weighted blanket. It had helped Tsuna, perhaps it would help Lambo too.

"Not quite. See, the protectors are small. They fool the bad dreams into thinking they're not very strong, and then when they get closer," Nana grinned, tickling his sides, "they gobble them up!"

Lambo squealed, wriggling around. Nana shushed him gently, chuckling. Once he was settled again, fear completely drained away, Nana continued.

"Do you know anyone that can do that job?"

"Crybaby Tsuna!"

Nana snorted.

"Almost. Has Tsuna showed you Plat?"

Lambo's eyes went wide. "It… eats bad dreams?!"

Nana nodded like a wise old priest. "He does. Lavina designed him special."

"Whoa." He sat there, mouth wide open. "Can I have one?"

"Sure bud, I'll ask Lavina about it tomorrow."

Little hands tapped excitedly at Nana's arms. "What else, what else?"

"Well, Tsuna didn't really like to do this one but I bet you would be great at it," Nana said. "I've noticed you're a very good singer."

"Lambo-san likes to sing," he preened.

"That's wonderful, because bad dreams _hate_ music."

Nana blinked when Lambo frowned.

"Reborn said _monsters _hate music, not bad dreams."

...

"When did Reborn tell you that?"

"When Lambo-san got a room," his eyes brightened, easily overjoyed at the mere mention of his very own room even now. "Lambo-san couldn't sleep because monsters might sneak in. Reborn said if I hid under the covers then they would just eat everyone else."

Wow. Wait to go Reborn. What the fuck.

Lambo seemed anything but disheartened. He puffed his chest out proudly. "He said that the great Lambo-san was in charge of keeping the monsters away cause he was too busy, and that they hated music so if I just sang before bed they'd be so scared of Lambo-san they wouldn't come back!"

That was… sweet? In a very Reborn way, Nana guessed.

"Wow, so you've been protecting us this whole time?" Nana grinned.

Lambo noded fiercely.

"Thank you!" Nana ruffled his hair. "You're an amazing hero!"

Lambo giggled, burrowing into the hug even further and going mostly limp. He'd fall alseep in a few minutes tops.

"Both monsters and bad dreams hate music, so one of your songs will work for both. If you ever wake up from a bad dream that's slipped through sing your Lambo song to scare it away, okay?"

Lambo blinked long and slow, one eyelid closing a little bit faster than the other as he started to nod off. "What if it's a really bad one?"

Nana ran a hand through his afro and across his back. "Then you come get me or Tsuna and we'll scare it away for you."

Tiny hands clenched around Nana's sleep shirt. He couldn't keep his eyes open anymore, cheek smooshed on Nana's collar bone. Nana relaxed too, underneath the familiar but time missed feeling of the safe weight of their kid drifting to sleep. Soon enough he was completely limp and gone from the world.

"_You seem more relaxed than usual," _Snake noted. "_It normally takes a fair amount of time for you to resettle if you wake up too early."_

"Do you have a discovery channel like journal about me?" Nana wondered, whispering softly as they ran a hand over Lambo's back. "Cause that's what that sounds like."

"_No," _Snake sounded like a put upon parent being asked the five hundredth inane question in a row. "_I am simply observant paired with a good memory."_

"Right. Sure," Nana nodded, not believing him at all. "I forgot what it was like to have a kid so young. I definitely missed the cuddles more than I thought."

"_That is a common feeling in most parents. It is often the starting point leading to having more children. You could consider it an early form of the empty nest syndrome but minimized to missing behavioral patterns as they grow instead of missing them entirely when they leave."_

Nana blinked. "Huh. That makes sense I guess. There are a lot of things Tsuna did when he was little that I missed when he stopped."

Gosh Tsuna had been so flipping cute. He was still cute, of course, but there was a difference between 'my cute teenage son full of fluff and anxiety' and 'my cute toddler son who thinks the sun is a person and greets them every morning'.

"_Did you know that the empty nest syndrome is actually considered a very serious medical concern? It is often mirrored with grief. Missing the finality of death of course, children leaving is similar to experiencing an extreme loss of personal connection and it can often lead to depression and anxiety."_

Nana yawned, shifting a little bit so they could sink further into their pillow without dislodging Lambo. "That sounds like it sucks. I felt really sad when my siblings moved out. I was really attached to them so when they left I kind of felt like I'd never see them again even though I knew they were just a call away."

"_It is similar to that, yes. Having someone who was a dependant upon you for so many years suddenly become independent often leaves people with a loss of purpose."_

"I can... see that," Nana blinked slowly. "It won't be too bad though."

"_I think you are underestimating the effects Bovino Lambo and Tsunayoshi's future independence will have on you."_

"Oh I'll be devastated for a while, I'm sure," Nana yawned, eyes closed. "But I'll still have people that need me."

"_You mean Lavina?"_

"I mean _you_."

"_...I was not aware I needed you," _Snake said softly, sounding oddly uncertain.

"Dun' worry bout it," Nana breathed deeply, slowly slipping off. This was kind of becoming an important conversation but damn it they'd been conditioned. Snake lessons meant sleep. It was like hearing a lullaby from your childhood and finding yourself suddenly a lot more relaxed and sleepy. You couldn't fight shit like that. "I need you… too."

"_Hm."_

Nana dreamed about the cliffs again. On the far cliff they could see their family from before. The twins were waving, calling out, but Nana couldn't hear what they were saying. Dad was sitting down, leaning against the rocks with his eyes closed as he waited.

The Snake was still watching, eyes never blinking, but it was closer now. If Nana reached out, leaned forward a bit, they would be able to touch it. Nana smiled at it, looking back at their family and feeling the sun on their face. The Snake would get closer when it wanted to. Nana had the time to wait.

-00-

It was 7:30 when Tsuna and Hayato stumbled down the stairs with sleep still dragging at the corners of their eyes.

"Where are you two going so early in the morning?" Nana wondered. Tsuna usually hated leaving the house before ten at the earliest on a weekend and Hayato just kind of followed Tsuna so long as Lavina didn't need anything.

"We're training," Hayato clenched his fist, eyes glinting.

Tsuna looked halfway to dead already. "Nii-san wants us to prepare for the festival coming up. We're doing the stupid pole thing and _for some reason_ he voted for me to be the representative."

Oof. Nana tried not to wince. Ryohei had been trying to get Tsuna to join the boxing club for _years _now. He could only assume this was the older teen's latest attempt. "Well… good luck boys. Text me where you'll be and I'll run some lunch over for all of you later."

"Thanks Dad."

"Thank you Nana-san," Hayato bowed a bit.

Nana sent a mental prayer Tsuna's way as he grumbled all the way out the door. It'd be good for him to get some sun, but maybe he'd bring the first-aid kit along with their lunch, just in case.

"Maman?"

Nana got up and went to the stairs. He smiled up at Lambo who was rubbing his eyes. "Morning bud, how'd you sleep?"

Lambo beamed, launching himself off the top step and straight into Nana's arms.

"Oh shi- ning, uh, stairs. Cause they're so clean," Nana caught him, easily tucking Lambo into his arms. "Lambo, sweet little cow child, you can _not _jump off of stairs like that."

Lambo giggled, now far more awake. "Lambo-san is hungry!"

Nana sighed. This whole 'selective hearing' thing was a new experience. He needed more info on how to approach that, since apparently his usual parenting method wasn't quite up to the challenge.

"Let's go have an omelet then."

"Pancakes!"

"Those are on Fridays and holidays. It's omelets today."

Lambo went limp in Nana's arms, whining.

Nana looked down at him with one eyebrow raised. "Keep that up and I'll fill yours with carrots. And you'll have to eat the whole thing."

"No!" Lambo looked horrified. "Lambo-san will be good! Lambo-san loves omelets!"

Nana laughed, ruffling his hair and setting him down. "That's good to hear. Since you're listening and being good then you can pick the vegetable we use."

Lambo pouted, fiddling with the ends of his shirt. "Does it have to have vegetables?"

Nana nodded. "At least one. Not all vegetables taste bad you know. We just need to find the ones you like."

That might have been a bit much for him to comprehend. Nana wanted to feel surprised, kids usually had at least one vegetable they liked, but considering the only food he had on him when he got to Namimori was candy shoved into his hair it just made Nana angry to think about. So he didn't.

"What about spinach?" Nana offered. "It was in the pasta on Tuesday and you seemed to really like that."

Lambo perked up. "Really? It didn't taste bad."

"Then let's give that one a shot."

Lambo did seem to have a better reaction foods that were reminiscent of Italian food. That made sense. Damn, Nana was an idiot. He'd have to start making more Italian stuff, ease Lambo into different food cultures more slowly. When he went to Italy for the reunion it would be the perfect time to talk to the cafeteria chefs about what kind of meal plan would work best for Lambo.

"Can Lambo-san add sprinkles?"

"Uh," Nana frowned a bit. "I don't think that would taste very good, but we can try. Let's make two regular ones and a sprinkle one to share."

"Yeah!" Lambo cheered, dancing his way into the kitchen.

"You're making omelets?"

If, one day, Nana punched Shouto hard enough to break something it would be his own god damned fault.

"I told you to stop sneaking around like that!"

Shouto shrugged, bed head and lazy yawns marking his silent appearance. "Learn to hear better."

Nana would kill him. One day.

Soft footsteps padded down the hall _audibly._

Ryu, fresh-faced and ready for the day, smiled warmly at Nana. "Good morning Nana, you look very energized today."

Nana smiled back, nudging the giant starting to doze off out of the way. "Morning Ryu-kun! I slept really well last night."

Ryu placed his hands on Shouto's shoulders, guiding him towards the kitchen. "That's good, I've been worried about how tired you've seemed lately."

"Oh," Nana frowned. He hoped Tsuna hadn't noticed. That boy had enough problems to deal with without Nana's thrown on top. "I've just been a bit stressed, but everything's coming together better now."

Shouto tried to pat Nana's shoulder, missed, shrugged, then went to sit down at the table next to Lambo.

Ryu shook his head. "I'm sorry about him."

Nana laughed. "Don't worry about it. Besides the heart-attacks, he adds some extra life to this house."

"I don't know how much more 'life' this place can take," Ryu huffed under his breath. He looked fondly over at his husband who was blinking at Lambo in a way that showed he had clearly clocked out of that fast-paced conversation the moment it started.

There was a crash upstairs.

"Enzo no! How did you get in the bathroom again?! Michelle-san, please don't do that, he'll only get bigger."

"He seemed thirsty, poor thing."

Michelle-san, no!"

Nana took a deep breath. Then blocked out every sound that wasn't coming from the kitchen with practiced ease.

"May I help?" Ryu motioned towards the stove.

"Sure. Spinach omelets sound good?"

Ryu nodded. Nana tossed him a spare apron and they got to work.

They ended up making a lot more than three omelets. Ryu made two for himself, and Shouto got a whopping _six_. Then Michelle had wandered in (or Nana assumed she did, seeing as how the first two omelets mysteriously disappeared when her keys vanished from the key ring. That woman needed a nap or something, her schedule was a disaster to keep track of), Dino tried to rush out so Nana had to literally wrap one up and shove it in the hood of his jacket before he could chase after his abnormally large turtle into the neighborhood, Bianchi grabbed one on her way out to wherever she was planning to go that day, and finally the one Nana wrapped up and stowed away in the fridge for Lavina whenever she woke up.

Nana allowed himself a brief moment to reminisce about the times where it was just him and Tsuna, where grocery store trips were a bi-weekly thing instead of a daily one.

Shouto made an unflattering noise when he shoved a forkful of food in his mouth, _before_ even finishing his last bite.

"Dude," Nana stared at him when he was digging into the third with no sign of slowing down. "How do you actually eat that much?"

Ryu bumped Shouto's shoulder when he tried to answer with his mouth full. Instead of finishing the bite he was on and pausing to talk like a normal person Shouto apparently decided speaking was not worth the lost time in eating. He shrugged and kept going.

Ryu rolled his eyes fondly. "He's always had a very fast metabolism. And we've always thought he had an extra stomach in there."

Shouto squirmed away from the finger poking at his side, giving Ryu the stink eye that lasted for all of a second before he smiled happily at him around another bite. Ryu smiled back.

"You two are cute," Nana pointed between them with his fork. He kept it leveled at Shouto. "But you're still really fricken weird."

"Lambo-san is cute!" Lambo cried, bits of food flying out of his mouth.

Nana wiped his face off, tapping his nose. "Don't talk with your mouth full. But yes, you're very cute too."

The sprinkle omelet (all they had was the rainbow sprinkles from the last baking day) wasn't as bad as Nana thought it would be but it definitely wasn't good. At the very least it made Lambo appreciate the very delicious Spinach ones better.

Clean up was nice and easy, especially with an extra pair of hands helping out with the dishes as well as keeping Lambo preoccupied.

"Do either of you have any plans next Saturday?" Nana wiped off the last of the dishes, passing it to Shouto to dry.

Ryu looked up from where he was playing some kind of rhythm game, Lambo singing happily to keep the tempo. "I don't think so. Why?"

"It's Tsuna's birthday, and the day before I leave for Italy. You guys don't have to do anything, but we usually have a big family dinner over at TakeSushi. If you're free you're welcome to join us!"

"We're in," Shouto said with far more determination than was needed for a birthday dinner.

Ah. It was probably the 'dinner' part.

"We'd be honored to join you all," Ryu looked up, wide-eyed. "Are you sure though? You said… you said it was for family."

"Ryu," Nana looked over his shoulder at him. "Your Grandmother was practically my Grandmother growing up. And you've lived here for weeks now. You both are family as far as I'm concerned."

There must be more history than Nana was aware of because Ryu looked like he was about to cry.

"...Thank you," Ryu ducked his head, looking away when Lambo peered up at him curiously.

Shouto dried off his hands, placing one on Nana's shoulder and looking him dead in the eye.

"Thank you," he, solemn. "Ryu, we should go get ready."

Ryu nodded, standing up and patting Lambo's head. "I'm already ready."

"Help me get ready then."

"So lazy," Ryu muttered, smiling softly. He couldn't quite make eye contact with Nana when they walked out, but the smile never left his face.

Nana watched them go with pursed lips. She knew more about Shouto than the man probably wanted, thanks to Reborn and Kouske's hacking network, but everything he knew about Ryu came second-hand from Hanazawa-san. He could piece some things together, sure, but that reaction seemed a bit… stronger than the bits of story Nana had gathered would suggest.

Well, whatever it was either Ryu would talk about it at some point or he wouldn't. They were staying for another month at least, so he'd just have to invite them to more things.

Nodding to himself Nana dried off his hands and turned towards his youngest son (could he… could he call Lambo his son? Was that a little early? Would Lambo be okay with that?).

"Wanna go to the park Lambo?"

"Yeah!"

Getting Tsuna ready for a walk had been easy. Sing a little song about tying shoes and he'd be ready to go in a minute, tops. Lambo buzzed around like he was about to burst from his own skin, easily distracted by everything he saw, touched, or even smelled. Halfway through shoving his arms into a jacket (just in case it rained or something) Shouto had come out of the bathroom wearing the cologne he only wore when he was going on a date with Ryu (honestly, those two were absolutely adorable) and Lambo latched onto his leg the second he passed by.

"You smell funny! Are you wearing perfume?" Lambo demanded, jacket half-on as Nana hung his head and sighed.

Shouto blinked down at him. "...Of a sort."

"Lambo-san thought only ladies wore perfume," Lambo looked confused.

Shouto shrugged. "If it smells nice anyone can wear it but this was technically made for men so-"

"Lambo-san wants some!"

And then it took some time to wrestle Lambo away from both Shouto and then the bathroom where the _very_ nice bottle of cologne was hidden away carefully.

"There!" Nana near shouted, clapping their hands once. Lambo was finally, _finally _bundled and ready to go. Shoes tied and everything.

"Don't you look precious," Lavina yawned, patting Lambo's head as she ambled down the stairs. Lambo grinned happily up at her. "Where are you two going?"

"The park!" Lambo cheered.

"Then the store, probably," Nana nodded. "We need more eggs. You've got an omelet in the fridge."

Lavina gave him a little side hug, droopy eyes blinking slowly as she tried to wake up. "...Thanks. Have fun."

"Will do. Try not to run into the wall or anything."

Lavina waved him off, sliding lazily against the wall on her way to the kitchen.

"Alright bud, let's get going."

"Yeah!"

-00-

Tsuna had three choices.

1\. Stop Hayato from murdering Ryohei. This was the second most difficult choice because even if he helped Takeshi restrain the silverette Ryohei would just keep laughing and calling him 'octopus head' and eventually Hayato's stamina would beat them all.

2\. Climb the wooden pole Ryohei had brought so he could practice not falling off. Because he would be doing the same thing in _two days _in front of _the entire school_ because Ryohei thought Tsuna somehow had the strength and endurance to be their representative. This was the most difficult choice because Tsuna couldn't even climb a tree, with handholds and grooves for your feet, much less a completely sanded down eight-foot pole.

3\. Fall into the river for the second time that day (the first had been from his original sad attempt at climbing the pole) and let the current carry him far, far away from his troubles.

Option three was looking pretty appealing. The water wasn't even that cold, if he thought about it. And in a few hours the sun would warm it right up. It would be like taking a bath. A nice, relaxing bath where the craziness of his friends or the expectations of the society around them couldn't reach him.

That sounded nice.

"I agree with Sasagawa," Reborn, the bringer of chaos, piped in.

Then he took Tsuna's choices, ripped them in half, and shot him in the face. And maybe that would have been okay, if Tsuna had only been thinking about one thing. But he'd been thinking about three, and when the will to do everything you want to before you die takes over your body in a fiery blaze of passion you try to accomplish all of them. At once.

"Whoa!" Takeshi laughed when Tsuna lifted them all onto his shoulders, ran up the pole before it fell now that the people holding it were gone, and rocket launched them all into the river with enough strength to send them hopping down it like the smoothest of stones.

"EXTREEEEMMMMEEE!" Ryohei cheered, fists pumping in the air as he cheered.

Hayato screamed. It was a little hard to tell if it was out of fear or excitement. Probably both.

"Hello Tsunayoshi-kun," Natsuki waved at them, arm linked with Kouske's as they walked along the bank.

"HELLO!" Tsuna roared back as they sailed past them.

Kouske slowly wiped the water off his face from the wave of their passing.

Natsuki laughed, thumbing at a spot he missed. "I'll tell Kyoya they're having fun without him. He needs a break."

Kouske rolled his eyes.

"Tsuna, you're so strong!" Takeshi had to yell to be heard past the roar of the wind in their ears, already soaked from head to toe.

Ryohei cackled. "I knew you were the right choice!"

"BRIDGE!" Hayato shrieked, shielding his face.

Tsuna didn't really remember what happened after that. All he knew was that there was a loud sound like a crack, everyone screamed, and then they were all staring up at a very unimpressed Kyoya who seemed a bit upset that they had broken the bridge in half.

"I," Tsuna started, praying his friends would follow his lead for once in their lives, "am _so sorry_."

No one else apologized, but they did manage to act as a cohesive unit of survivalists when they started running the second Kyoya pulled out his tonfas.

"Consider this training," Reborn called, relaxing peacefully in one of the trees ahead of where Tsuna was running. They had all split up, the smartest move they'd made that day, and Tsuna knew that out of all of them Kyoya was most likely to follow Ryohei. Their resident boxer was clearly the most challenging to catch and fight, which was like catnip to Kyoya.

It was his klutziness that saved his head from decapitation.

"Why are you chasing me?!" Tsuna cried, scrambling away faster than before. He'd be more concerned about running through the neighborhood in his boxers if his adrenaline wasn't so high.

Kyoya flicked out his tonfa, eyes narrowed.

"You're the one that broke the bridge Tsuna," Reborn informed him, stretching out and settling in for an afternoon nap.

"That was your fault! You shot me!"

"I told you to climb the pole. Destroying the bridge was your own decision."

Tsuna made a mental promise to join Nana on more of their morning runs. He was still absolutely going to die, but he would last at least five more minutes than normal. Marked improvement.

"Kyo-kun, I swear, I didn't mean too!"

"I'll bite you to _death._"

Tsuna cried as he ran, which was probably a waste of valuable air but it made him feel better so he did it anyway.

"Just _try_ and hit him, I'll fucking kill you!" Hayato roared from somewhere behind them. He must have looped back around once he realized he wasn't the one targeted for death.

"Keep running!" Takeshi called out helpfully. As though Tsuna had actually thought to stop.

"TSUNA! Lead him over here! I'll take him out!"

And get caught in the crossfire?! No thank you!

Kyoya growled, stepping off his front foot, twisting, and rocketing back towards the others. "I have been too lenient on you herbivores. Destroying public property, disturbing the peace, _crowding_," he spat.

Takeshi, the only one with any self-preservation apparently, had turned to run the second Kyoya targeted them instead of Tsuna. Hayato and Ryohei had taken it as a challenge and were now standing their ground, fists up and dynamite in hand.

Tsuna kept running. He loved his friends, he did, and if he could help them he would. But you didn't fight Kyoya. You either died or distracted him. His friends had made their choice.

"I will find you later, Sawada Tsunayoshi," Kyoya promised. Tsuna couldn't see his bloodthirsty smile when he jumped into the air to kick at Hayato's head, but he could hear it in his voice clear enough. "As the instigator, your punishment will be twice that of these weaklings."

When Hayato had come knocking on his door that morning Tsuna should have pretended to be dead. That's what he would do from now on. If anyone, even Reborn, tried to get him to leave he'd just play dead. Foolproof.

For now though, he needed a place to hide.

-00-

Parks were nice. As a kid, the first time, Nana had loved just sitting near them and listening to all the noise of the afternoons, where families were abundant and laughter was constant. The big groups had never noticed the extra kid that joined for snack time, so that had been cool too.

"Lambo!" Nana called, flopped back on the bench like a starfish. "Don't eat the rocks!"

Lambo blinked up over at him, slowly spitting out the three rocks he had shoved in his mouth. He laughed loudly and ran for the slide.

"Disgusting."

Nana scowled at the voice behind them, hanging their head back to glare at the tall man. "Kyoya would have drank the blood of his enemies if you let him, don't judge mine for thinking every white rock is a salt rock."

Kouske rolled his eyes, shoving at Nana's head a little. Natsuki smiled down at him pleasantly. "Hello, Nana."

"Hey Natsuki," Nana beamed. "You guys taking a walk? That's cute."

They were totally going to be that old couple that took walks every day together. Adorable.

"Kyoya wanted our opinion on his new security set up and Kouske needed a break," Natsuki unlinked her arm from Kouske's, coming around to sit next to him. Nana straightened, suddenly a little nervous when Kouske sat on his other side. Maybe he shouldn't have starfished right in the middle of the bench.

"Uh, security set up?"

Kouske nodded towards the tree line.

Nana squinted. He could just barely make out the sleeve of the Disciplinary Committee uniform sticking out from behind it.

"...Kinda creepy."

"It's amateur," Kousked snorted. "If even _you_ can see them then they are clearly not ready to be part of the main security force."

"Every single time you talk all I feel is confused concern."

"And anger," Natsuki reminded him.

Nana nodded. "And anger."

One of the little girls that had been running around screaming at every tree (she had some serious lungs, she should play a wind instrument or something) tripped in front of them. The three other children (two boys and another girl, all trying to get her to 'stop screaming you're so _loud!_) gasped and rushed to help her. She didn't seem to be hurt. There was a scrape on her knee that wasn't even bleeding but the shock of it might make her cry.

Nana leaned forward, ready to help if they needed it, but that was a mistake. By moving he had drawn the children's attention to the bench. Nana felt nothing but sympathy when they all realized they were right in front of Kouske, who was looking down at them as the true personification of apathy.

"What." He frowned.

Nana nodded when they all screamed and ran away. These were truly smart children. His faith in the future of humanity was solidified.

"H-hey!"

All three adults turned to see Lambo, shivering and scowling next to the bench. He looked between Nana and Kouske, torn.

"Is something wrong bud?" Nana reached for him, worried.

Lambo held onto his hand, staring at Kouske unblinkingly. He glanced at Nana once, quickly, before he started to sing.

To Kouske.

Lambo was singing his Lambo song. To _Kouske_. Nana had been worried about his natural survival instincts already, this just made him realize that Lambo apparently had none to speak of.

Natsuki tilted her head as the tiny child began to sing to her husband. She pulled out her phone.

"It's Lambo~!" Lambo cheered. He stared at Kouske, squinting in a way that made it look like he'd swallowed a lemon. "Did you like Lambo-san's song?"

Kouske blinked once, slowly at him. "...Yes."

Lambo grinned so wide you could see all of his teeth. "Those idiots were idiots, you're not a monster!"

Then he hopped onto Nana's lap so he could reach up and pat Kouske's cheek, scavenged a sucker from his hair (how did he keep sneaking those things in there?!), wrapped Kouske's fingers around it, then ran off to play again.

Nana's hand barely muffled the laughter he tried to choke back, the effort causing tears to start well up in their eyes. He had to turn away, hunching in on himself as he desperately held back his giggles.

"...What." Kouske turned to stare at him.

"Oh my god," Nana wheezed. "Oh my _god, _that was the best thing I've ever witnessed!"

You know how everyone has different types of laughs for different situations? Such as a sudden silly surprise, genuine joy, sarcastic agreement/disagreement, mocking anger, ect. Even for joy, there's a whole bunch of different laughs you have. Nana, in particular, had a certain laugh that they rarely let loose into the world because it was by far the most embarrassing witch-snort-dying cackle hopped up on five levels of helium that a human can possibly create. It only made an appearance when Nana saw something so funny it touched their soul and typically when whatever had happened was aimed at someone he dreamed of punching.

When Nana fell off the bench, fighting for breath as he did his best impression of a witch with bronchitis, Kouske looked down at him, then back to the sucker with literal canyons being formed between his eyebrows.

"What the fuck," he said with the deadpan delivery of a man on the verge of throwing themself off the nearest cliff purely to escape the stupidity of the world around him.

The tone and the fact that he actually cursed only made Nana laugh harder. So hard, in fact, that he couldn't actually make noise besides the occasional screech of escaping air because he couldn't fucking breathe.

"You seem to be struggling," Natsuki suddenly appeared above him, looking down with her phone hiding the smile behind it. The corners of her eyes were crinkled and she sounded more than amused.

"Heee," Nana cried, bright red and undoubtedly a complete and utter mess. "Can't… breeeeaath…!"

"_You may actually pass out if you do not calm down," _Snake warned.

It wasn't even particularly funny, but the soft chuckles in Snake's own voice as the only other person who truly understood what just happened made Nana fall even further into their fit.

Besides, it wouldn't be the first time he passed out in front of the Hibaris.

"Maman?" Lambo sounded freaked out. He ran over, kneeling down to pat at Nana's face. He whipped his head up to stare at Kouske, alarmed and suspicious.

Oh shit, he was going to start singing again. He thought Kouske had tricked him somehow and that he actually _was_ a monster. He couldn't sing again, Nana wouldn't survive.

"I'm… fine!" Nana pushed up on his elbows, patting Lambo's arm. "I'm, hehe, I'm fine sweetheart, ha. Really, I'm just- just laughing."

Nana shook with the effort of restraining themselves, carefully taking hiccuped breaths as they fanned at their flaming face.

Lambo leaned forwards, ducking past Nana's hair so he could see their face. Nana gave him a huge smile, his cheeks hurting.

Lambo blinked and smiled back. Apparently he was taking cues from Nana because he then started cackling like an evil scientist.

"This?" Kouske motioned towards the two children, eyebrow raised.

Natsuki patted his shoulder.

"Maman come play," Lambo tugged at his hand, urging him to stand up. "We can play Lambo is king of the slide!"

"Sure thing bud," Nana giggled, wiping at his eyes. He brushed himself off, running a hand through his hair to straighten it out a little. "You two wanna play?"

"No."

Natsuki scooted across the bench, resting her head on Kouske's shoulder. Nana grinned when Kouske rested his head on hers. "We'll stay here for a bit before leaving. Have fun."

As soon as the two were gone, giggling the whole way, Natsuki pulled out her phone and stole Kouske's from his pocket.

He snorted when he realized what she was doing.

Once Natsuki was done setting their new ringtones for Nana she put their phones away and relaxed into his side completely.

"This is nice," she hummed.

"Mh," Kouske closed his eyes, content.

"When should we test them next?"

"Next Saturday."

Natsuki smiled a bit. "Isn't that Tsuna-kun's birthday?"

"Yes."

"Perhaps the children would want to join this time."

"Kyoya will," Kouske wrapped his arm around her waist, relaxing more. "The others will be easily convinced."

"Even Hayato-kun?"

"I'll talk to Lavina."

The rest of their time in the park was spent in peace. The children in the park gave them a wide berth while Nana and Lambo climbed up and down the slide like monkeys.

Kouske frowned a bit, opening his eyes.

"You're thinking too hard again," Natsuki murmured, resting a hand on his arm with her eyes still closed.

"It is frustrating."

"I know," she agreed. "But there's nothing to be done yet."

His eyes traveled to Nana. "They could take her in."

"Nana would," she nodded, "but we need more information first."

Kouske sighed deep in his throat.

Natsuki sat up, smiling softly up at him. "I'm already looking into it, it won't be long." She kissed him on the cheek before pulling them both to their feet. "Come on, you need to stop worrying so much. Let's go spar."

The light in her husband's eyes made her own reflect the same excitement. Natsuki waved at Nana as they went, chuckling at the over-enthusiastic wave they got in return. It was a shame he had been out with his youngest, otherwise they would have invited him to join. It was always entertaining to fight Nana.

-00-

"Thanks for letting me hide here," Tsuna said. He was sitting, curled up with his knees to his chest and chin resting on his arms. The spare sets of clothing both he and Nana had hidden away around the city had been a smart move so he didn't have to wait around in his boxers until it was safe to go home.

I-Pin nodded once, serious, before she went back to stretching. They were under The Mountain, nearby the same clearing Tsuna had his talk with Nana. The camp was tiny, just big enough for the five-year-old little girl and it was out of the way of all the main paths.

"Do you, um, do you live here?" Tsuna asked. That was probably a stupid question. There was a little tent and an old campfire. She probably lived here.

I-Pin nodded.

"Oh. For how long?"

She rattled off a number, holding up three fingers.

"Three months?" Tsuna frowned. "Are your parents okay with that?"

"No parents," she said, stoic and with a heavy accent. "Just master."

Tsuna curled in a little further. She didn't have any parents? Her master… so her teacher? The one who taught her to fight?

"Do you… do you like your master?"

I-Pin smiled so suddenly it made Tsuna twitch. "Very kind! Very strong. Master is the best!"

Tsuna returned the smile weakly. "That's good. Where is your master?"

I-Pin was facing him now, forgetting her stretches. "Dangerous mission. Went by himself, I took smaller mission."

She spoke with a lot of pauses and it was kind of stilted but it was really impressive that she knew so much Japanese so young.

"So he didn't want you to get hurt," Tsuna said more to himself. That was good, right? It still seemed wrong to give a child an assassination mission. It felt wrong to leave her on her own too.

He doubted Dad would mind if there was another kid around the house.

"Hey I-Pin-chan?" Tsuna looked at her hesitantly. "If you, uh, need a place to stay… you could always come stay with us? At my house. We have a lot of- a lot of rooms and I know my Dad would be okay with it."

I-Pin tilted her head with a frown. "You hire me?"

"No!" Tsuna straightened, waving his hands around. "No, I don't want you to kill anyone! I just- it's going to get cold soon! You'd get a room and meals, i-if you want. I'm sure you're Master would be happy to know you're being looked after too, you know?"

I-Pin was still frowning at him. "Why?"

"Um. Why… why he would want you to be looked after?"

"No," she shook her head, pointing at him. "Why give home?"

"Oh," Tsuna fiddled with his fingers, looking away. "...It's the right thing to do."

Tsuna squeaked, flinching back when I-Pin suddenly hopped up onto his knees and stared at his face.

I-Pin smiled, holding out her hand. "You say what Master says. I accept."

"Okay?" Tsuna shook her hand, leaning away from her squinting gaze. "Good. That's… good! Kyo-kun is probably still chasing the others so we should have time to move all your stuff now if you want."

"Yes," I-Pin nodded, flipping off Tsuna and quickly gathering her things. There wasn't a lot.

"Is this everything?"

I-Pin shook her head. "Hidden. Get later."

"Oh. Alright."

Tsuna carried the tiny little tent, wrapped up in a bag barely big enough to hold it. I-Pin had a little backpack full of clothes and what looked like a bunch of Gyoza buns. Wouldn't her clothes smell like Gyoza all the time?

"Ah," Tsuna realized she was waiting on him. "L-let's get going then?"

"Yes."

-00-

Nana tilted his head. "Who's this?"

"Um," Tsuna rubbed the back of his head nervously. What was the best way to explain this? "Dad, this is I-Pin. She's um, she's helped me out a few times and I found out today that she doesn't have a place to stay so uh-"

"What." Nana deadpanned. Tsuna flinched at the violent flicker of the green surrounding his father. "She doesn't… where are her parents?"

I-Pin bowed next to Tsuna, speaking rapidly.

Nana looked at her now, eyes clearing a bit. "Your teacher? Why isn't he here with you?"

I-Pin looked shocked for a moment before replying.

Nana cupped his chin, closing his eyes. "To protect you, huh? How old are you I-Pin-chan?"

She held up five fingers.

Nana twitched.

"Well," he swallowed down whatever emotion had been building, smiling warmly instead, "you are welcome to stay here for however long you need to dear. And when your… teacher shows up I would _love_ to meet them."

I-Pin seemed thrilled. She bowed rapidly, shouting her thanks.

Tsuna shrugged when Nana looked at him.

Nana sighed. He bent down to offer I-Pin his hand. "Let's go pick a room for you, okay? We can go get your things and stop by the mall tomorrow."

I-Pin looked up at him for a long moment before turning to Tsuna.

Tsuna smiled wobbly down at her. "I'll go too, if you want."

I-Pin nodded vigorously.

Eventually, I-Pin settled on the room next to Lambo's. The other toddler was currently taking a nap and Tsuna worried about how the two would get along. I-Pin seemed so reserved and Lambo was definitely… not. Hopefully the rule about opposites held strong and they were able to get along okay.

"Are you sure?" Nana looked conflicted about whatever I-Pin was telling him. "I'd hate to have you do all that by yourself. I'd be happy to come help."

I-Pin shook her head, saying something about only having a small amount of something.

Tsuna could see the moment his Dad visibly swallowed down his parental instincts.

"...Okay. But take my phone with you, okay? Tsu-kun's number is the very first one, just call it if you have _any _troubles okay? Send a text when you're on your way back too."

I-Pin bowed her head deeply, accepting the phone with a word of thanks. Then she flipped out the window and into the trees.

"Um," Tsuna trailed off.

"She went to get her things," Nana grimaced. "All by herself."

"I'm sure she'll be okay," Tsuna fiddled with his fingers. "She's really strong."

Nana looked at him.

Tsuna shrugged. "Not as strong as Kyo-kun was, I don't think any other five-year-old could ever be that strong, but she's probably the closest someone can get."

"Huh," Nana looked back out the window. He still looked upset but not as tense as before. "That's good, I suppose. Really weird, but good."

Tsuna looked down, nervous energy bubbling in his stomach. "Sorry for inviting her without asking you."

Nana's hand landed on his hair. "What are you sorry for? You did a good thing and it's not like we don't have the room. I'd much rather have her here where she can be taken care of than be roughing it in the woods. How'd you meet her?"

Tsuna gave a brief summary of the dog and their meeting in the backyard. He left out the part about being an accidental assassination target. I-Pin hadn't meant to make a mistake like that, so he wasn't really in danger.

"Well," Nana ran a hand through his hair, "she said her teacher was on a more dangerous mission so he gave her the safer one and promised to come find her when he was done. Who knows how long that will be."

Tsuna kind of doubted the time frame mattered, his Dad already looked ready to pull out the adoption forms. The only reason Lambo wasn't already a legally official Sawada was because they were worried the Bovino Famiglia would start paying attention if they tried.

"Want me to pull out an extra futon?" Tsuna offered. They had a huge closet dedicated to them now.

"That'd be great bud, thanks. Want to come with us when we go to the mall? You could use some new shoes."

"Yeah!" he perked up. It was always fun to go to the mall with his Dad. "Do you think I could get a new game too?"

"I don't see why not," Nana shrugged. "As long as you get all your chores done. And no shoving your laundry under your bed."

He was teasing him, Tsuna knew, but he still cursed the stupid Skull Disease for revealing these things.

"I won't," he grumbled, blushing a bit.

There was a harsh knocking at the door, like someone was hitting it with a metal pole.

"Tsuna," Nana said slowly. "Is he mad at me or you?"

"Uh," Tsuna edged towards the backdoor. "Me. I kind of… um, destroyed a bridge."

Nana looked bewildered.

"It's Reborn's fault!"

"Ah," his face cleared. "I get it. I'll distract him, you make for Takesushi. Come back when I text you about dinner okay?"

"Thanks Dad," Tsuna gave him a quick hug. Seriously, his Dad was the literal best.

"Oh, hello Kyoya-kun," Lavina's voice sounded cheerfully.

They both paled.

"Tsuna-chan? He's in the kitchen with Nana."

"Run son," Nana urged, pushing him towards the back door.

"Stay safe Dad."

Nana ran into the hall, barely stopping Kyoya half way. "Lavine, what the fuck?!"

Lavina giggled, going back up the stairs as she waved.

"Where is he?" Kyoya demanded, slanted eyes and killer vibe as strong as ever.

"Who?" Nana blinked dumbly, which was honestly a mistake, but it was better to goad him into a fight then try to outsmart him. That never ended well.

Kyoya immediately took a swipe at him. "Accomplices receive the same fate."

"You'll never catch me alive!" Nana dove out the nearest window. Thank goodness the weather was still just warm enough for open windows, otherwise that would have been bad.

He sent a mental prayer for Tsuna. He may have given his son some extra time to live, but no one escaped Kyoya forever. All he could do was try to tire him out enough to make the final showdown quick and merciful.

He made sure to keep their death chase to the neighborhood, so he could be nearby when I-Pin came back. Which was both the right and wrong choice when the little girl flew out of fricken nowhere and saved Nana's head from being punted straight off his shoulders.

Good because Nana liked having his head attached to his body.

Bad because somehow, someway, as soon as I-Pin got a good look at who she had just fly-kicked away (Kyoya looked surprised but impressed, which was a good sign) she exploded.

Like, actually exploded.

"What the fuck?" Nana whispered fiercely, scooping up the now smoking child into his arms and booking it back home now that the smoke was shielding them from view."What the- I-Pin? Are you okay?!"

She murmured incoherently, smiling dopily and clearly not in her right mind.

"_She is fine. That was normal for her."_

"Snake," Nana took a deep breath. "We have talked about what is actually considered normal. _This is not it_."

"_Compared to the copious amounts of weapons and food Bovino Lambo can put into his hair I would think this is more within the realm of your 'normal'. I-Pin is a practitioner of Gyoza-Ken. A very skilled one, at that, but due to her young age she often loses control when experiencing strong emotions."_

"So she explodes?!"

"_That would be an accurate description, yes."_

Of course. _Of course_ the next child they met would be a literal walking time bomb. They had enough metaphorical ones, why not have the real deal?!

"_She left her things behind after the explosion."_

"Fuck!" Nana cried, glancing down to make sure I-Pin was still too dazed to hear what he said. "I'll grab them later, okay?"

"_Fear is unbecoming of you Nana," _Snake teased.

Nana cursed at him. "Just because I'm proud of you for getting the hang of socially acceptable teasing doesn't mean I won't slap you one day for targeting me with it."

"_You shouldn't fear what a student learns."_

"Then treat your teacher with some god damned respect!"

"_You have always said to treat others how you want to be treated. Based on your actions towards myself I merely assumed you wished to be shown the same behavior."_

Nana scowled. How dare he use his spite against him.

"This is the second time a member of your family has destroyed public property," Kyoya's voice came from above, the promise of pain strong within it.

Nana yelped and dove out of the way. "I had no idea that was going to happen! And you don't _know _that she's part of my family!"

Kyoya gave him a look so reminiscent of Kouske it made Nana want to punch him on instinct.

"She's not!" Nana swore. Then, a little softer, "...yet."

Kyoya took the words with the grain of salt they deserved and then tried to elbow Nana in the face.

Damn. This might take a while.

-00-

"We're all alive!" Takeshi cheered, sitting criss-cross on his bed without a scratch on him.

Ryohei, bruised and full of life, laughed loudly.

Hayato hissed at them both. He'd gotten out of there with the most bruises, but Tsuna was starting to wonder if all of them had come from Kyoya. He didn't doubt his friend had tried to fight Ryohei again once Takeshi (the impulse control Tsuna sorely needed but often found lacking) was out of the picture.

"I need to fix that bridge," Tsuna muttered into his cup of tea, graciously brought by Aiko once she invited him in and directed him upstairs with laughter in her eyes.

"We can do it together," Takeshi promised. "I've never fixed a bridge before. It'll be fun!"

Ah Takeshi. Ever the bright spot of optimism.

"We can do it while we train!" Ryohei agreed. "You got really far today Tsuna, imagine how good you'll be with a full day of training!"

"If you guys are looking for a good way to get strong fast I have a few ideas," Dino piped in.

Tsuna didn't really know when Dino got there. Or why he was there at all. When he'd asked Takeshi why he was there the taller teen had just shrugged and laughed. Said it was nice to make new friends and left it at that.

"What kind of training?" Ryohei leaned forward, excited.

Dino laughed. "It's pretty intense. You sure you wanna know?"

"Sounds like fun!" Takeshi leaned back on his hands.

Tsuna would like the impulse control back, thanks.

"Let's start bright and early then," Dino pulled out his phone and sent out a text. "Romario will pick us up at five and we'll be back before ten. That good?"

There were a lot of questions running through Tsuna's brain right then. Where were they going? Why did Dino's main bodyguard guy have to pick them up? How far away was this? What exactly was the 'training'? Did he _have_ to go (the eyes of all his friends said _yes_)?

"Five in the morning?" he groaned, this being the most important question by far.

"The boss who is early to rise is the most wise," Reborn shut the window behind him (when did he even open it?!) and jumped into Tsuna's hair.

"That's not a saying."

It really said something that Tsuna didn't even flinch at the feeling of the gun tapping lightly at his head.

"It is now."

What was his life.

"Am I wise then?" Dino asked.

"No."

"Ah," he deflated.

Tsuna, with practiced efficiency, pulled out his phone and pretended the world didn't exist while he checked his messages.

**Lovesyou:** Raincheck on dinner tonight bud. Don't think home'll be a safe zone till tomorrow.

Tsuna felt his neck and face heat up, undoubtedly a splotchy red. He forgot to change his Dad's name in his phone back after Nana had borrowed it at dinner last night. Why did he love to embarrass him so much?

**Tsuna: **That's okay, I can stay at Takeshi's tonight. Dino invited us on some kind of trip too so we should be gone for most of the day. He said we'd be back by ten.

**Lovesyou: **Is this a Reborn thing?

**Tsuna: **I don't know yet. Maybe.

**Lovesyou: **Text me if you want me to come pick you up. I'll drop off some meals for tomorrow too. What time are you guys leaving?

**Tsuna: **Five.

**Lovesyou: **In the morning?!

Tsuna laughed a bit.

**Tsuna: **That's what I said.

**Lovesyou: **Let me know when you find out where you're going. I'll be on standby for an emergency rescue.

His Dad really was the best.

**Tsuna: **Thanks Dad. Love you.

**Lovesyou:** Love you too. We'll go to the mall with I-Pin and Lambo on Monday after school okay?

**Tsuna: **Okay. See you in the morning.

**Lovesyou: **Sleep well Tsu-kun

Tsuna took a nice deep breath. He felt better now.

"Hey Takeshi, can I-" he looked up and got a face full of pillow.

"Oops, sorry Tsuna," Takeshi rubbed the back of his neck.

Tsuna blinked. The entire room was a wreck. Dino had Hayato in a headlock, one foot pushed against Ryohei's face to keep him away. Takeshi had all of his pillows hoarded around him, aiming for Dino whenever he was distracted. Reborn was still in his hair and seemed to be asleep, so at least that variable to chaos was out of the way for now.

Tsuna opened his mouth, thought about it, then closed it. He was finally able to fully separate himself from the reality surrounding him. If he asked questions now it would ruin his own efforts.

"Can I stay the night?"

"Of course!" Takeshi beamed. "We should all have a sleepover! It'll be so much fun!"

"Yes!" Ryohei cheered. "Should I call Kyoko? She will be upset to be missing all of this tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Tsuna frowned.

Hayato twisted in a way that made Tsuna wonder exactly how flexible his friend was and shoved away from Dino. "Stupid Turf Head told her to join us tomorrow. She'll be here at five."

Tsuna pursed his lips. He… wasn't sure how to feel about that. It would be nice to hang out with Kyoko, they hadn't really been able to for a while and he missed her. But hanging out in a setting that would most definitely encourage physical competition in any way? That was a recipe for disaster.

The strain in Takeshi's laughter was comforting in the fact that Tsuna knew he wasn't alone in his doubts.

"We should probably go to sleep now if we want to be up in time," Dino advised, ducking under Ryohei when the teen charged at him. He then tripped over his own feet, got tangled in the blankets, and ended up in a heap of struggling limbs on the floor.

Tsuna sighed. "I'll go let Aiko-san and Tsuyoshi-san know we'll be staying over."

Takeshi gave him a thumbs up. "Thanks Tsuna! Grab some blankets from the closet on the way back!"

"Kay."

This was going to be a draining night. Three people, each with their own boundless source of energy, as well as Reborn all in a single room?

"Get moving Tsuna," Reborn kicked at his head, turning on his side to get more comfortable.

Tsuna grumbled but went down the stairs. Tsuyoshi was at the sink cleaning off his knives. Aiko was probably wiping off the tables in the dining area.

"Hey Tsuna," Tsuyoshi beamed, turning off the sink and drying off his hands. "You all staying the night?"

This happened often enough that Tsuna didn't even bother to wonder how he knew that.

"Is that okay?"

"Of course! I'll let Aiko know we'll have to set some extra plates out in the morning."

"That's okay," Tsuna shuffled on his feet. "We're all leaving pretty early for some training thing Dino-san has in mind. We're leaving around 5."

"Oh, have fun then!" Tsuyoshi looked pumped. "I'll still have breakfast ready for you all, I'm up early anyway. Is Kyoko-chan joining you all?"

"You don't have to," Tsuna tried not to mumble. He was tired and Tsuyoshi was always a relaxing presence. "But, um, yeah she's coming too. She'll probably eat something before joining us though."

"Oh we should invite everyone over for breakfast!" Aiko appeared at the door. She must have been listening in. "It'll be a fun start to the morning!"

"At five?" Tsuna muttered under his breath. He doubted anyone would want to go somewhere for breakfast that early.

"That's a bit early dear," Tsuyoshi laughed. "How about we have a parents day while our kids are out having their own fun?"

Aiko clapped happily. "That's perfect! I'll text everyone and let them know."

"Um," Tsuna reached out hurriedly, "don't text Kyoya! ...Please?"

Tsuyoshi waved him off with an even brighter grin. "We know about the bridge, we won't sacrifice you all. He'll find you on his own tomorrow I'm sure."

Oh god, he was right. It didn't matter how far they went, Kyoya would track them down in a heartbeat.

"Don't freak him out before bed," Aiko reprimanded, stepping into the kitchen so she could nudge Tsuna towards the stairs. "You'll be okay Tsuna, I'm sure Kyoya-kun isn't that mad."

The Yamamotos faith in humanity was like an unrealistic miracle, considering who they were friends with.

"Sleep well!" Tsuyoshi said as though he hadn't forced Tsuna to realize his death was literally just around the corner.

"...okay."

Takeshi and Hayato were reading some manga on Takeshi's bed when Tsuna got back. Ryohei, who always fell asleep at the exact stroke of ten, was curled at the bottom of Takeshi's bed like a dog. Dino was still wrapped up on the floor. No one tried to help him apparently and he must have given up because he seemed to be asleep.

"Tsuna!" Hayato sat up, grinning. He patted the spot between them, offering another manga as he flopped onto the bed. He threw the blankets over their legs, poking Hayato until he begrudgingly put one around Ryohei too.

"I'm gonna sleep," Tsuna said, staring blankly up at the ceiling.

"Night!" Takeshi patted his head.

Hayato nodded seriously, looking ready to defend his sleep with his life (which was not necessary, but it was appreciated).

It was easy to drift asleep there, with his friends bickering quietly (Hayato was bickering, Takeshi just liked to tease) above him, Ryohei snoring loudly, and Dino twitching in his sleep.

He'd worry about Kyoya's death sentence tomorrow. That was a problem for Future Tsuna.

**-00-**

**Poor future Tsuna. He's got a lot of crap coming his way XD**

**Normally I put up a pole for ships once the story has developed more, because I usually don't mind most ships so I'm up for just about anything, but I'm starting to see that a pole probably won't be necessary. Looks like the majority of votes are going towards Natsuki/Kouske/Nana, and if that's the case I will start building that early on (clearly, from what I've already started adding). Still, I wanna be sure. So vote time! What pairing are you hoping for? Even if your ship isn't the one picked I will, at the very least, do one chapter in the Take No Crap side stories with every pairing offered to show what could have been (and to have heart-melting goodness from all the love). This is just for Nana right now. I might do one for Tsuna much later one. It looks like he's going to be my typical path of waiting to flesh out all the relationships before getting into the relationSHIPS. Let me know what you guys want!**

**ChaosHearth: Chaos, you are too kind T-T**

**Kirie Mitsuru: Ah jeez, you're making me blush from all your kind words =^.^= I have so many ideas for Fon, it's going to be a blast. Shamal is sleazy! I'd honestly kind of forgotten until I started re-reading the manga, cause I was so used to fandom Shamal who isn't so bad, so I was super surprised when I re-read and saw how bad he could get. Like, he tries to kiss Kyoko. Ech. The mothering shall happen! *shakes fist* It must! It'll be adorable too. I try to make all my stories end well, and if they don't I'll warn readers way ahead of time. That doesn't mean there won't be a heap ton of angst though. That stuff is a'coming. Thanks for being so nice friend, it seriously helped me out on a not so stellar day. You rock.**

**bloodshound: Friend! I always adore hearing from you, your insight is much appreciated. Ryu and Shamal's history will be brought up later (cause Shouto's beef is cause of Ryu's beef) so I that'll be a thing again. For the Skulls I did things that Tsuna thinks are his embarrassing secrets. Cause anxiety and embarrassing moments are usually from the eye of the beholder you know? Like you could think, oh my gosh I did so horribly I'm gonna die, but everyone around you didn't even notice or thought poorly about it. I-Pin needs glasses, stat. Nana takes no shit! And poor Dino XD He's gotta speak up more. Nana will adore him though. He's too much like Tsuna not to. Plus he's just a sweetheart. Naps can kind of suck sometimes, regardless of how nice they are T-T Miyu: *awkwardly/nervously hugs back* Thank you. I'm loving all the Snake love, he needs it. For Tsuna he really starts adopting 'if you can't beat them, join them' XD You an of course pinch the idea! The sharing of the ideas is the sharing of worlds and colors and that just rocks! Bloodshound... oh my gosh. That's... so many. So many good things right there. All good things. Oh my gosh you solved so many of my mini plot needs, you are the literal best! Thank you! Seriously, you rock and it's made my mood boost up by like a hundred points. Thank you!**

**Mel Writer: *blushes and throws candy as a reflex* No You! The ship is well on it's way my friend! Snake missed you too! Even if he won't admit it XD**

**ADDBaby: 'Shamal, you fuck nugget...' XD XD That was perfect! Reborn is having the time of his life, let me tell ya. Snake: 'Mia motherfucker?' Nana: Oh my god that's perfect, I'm calling you that forever now! Snake: Please don't. XD Why you gotta be so nice ADD?! Why?! It makes my heart do little melting dances on rainy days! Seriously, you're too nice! TOO NICE! Miyu fights for you! Cause you deserve the good Miyu fights!**

**ps. XD XD The harm is my gift to the world my friend! Take the fright and feel the love! FEEL IT! XD**

**pss. My fluff has taken it's newest victim. I shall mourn that chip my friend. I shall mourn... and then do it again *evil cackle* Seriously though, glad your teeth are okay! That stuff sucks.**

**Anya: Sanji might be a pervert, but he never forces himself on unwilling women or minors! He has some gentlemanly bones in his body, unlike Shamal. I love the Italian hand gestures, keep that shit up :D MHA! I am also on the binge. It is all-consuming and I keep getting story ideas but I must finish this first! Or at least get way the heck further in before I attempt the dual post of death! I'm glad YOU exist Anya, you're always super cool and sweet! And Kouske will absolutely hate Shamal the most. He hates that bastard. I hope you liked the Hibaris in this chapter! I'm mostly following the manga, but if there's some small things in the anime I either like more or that fits better that goes in instead. Each has its own shining points. I'm probably gonna skim over some but I'll add those to the other story. Let me know if there's a specific one you want to see! I hope you like the side story too! Thank you for being so kind friend. These badass comments have gotten me through some rough days, I don't think I can say enough how much I appreciate you. **

**Yuki Nagasawa: Gah! Stop! Stop! I'm gonna die from all the niceness! Seriously! You are way to sweet, I'm sorry your immune system kicks your but so much. You deserve nice things! I'm always down for OC's, even if I can't use them in the end or something. Just having the writing connection gets the brain juices flowing and I just love seeing the ideas people can come up with. They're like paintings with words and are so cool to see. Seriously, thanks for being the sweet, kind friend that you are Yuki. I've had some rough days and all this kindness and positive feedback has really helped me make it through them. Thank you.**

**Megi Keishii: It's not in this chapter, unfortunately, but you asked and so shall be delivered! I'm writing some stuff to show off the game and I'll let you know when I post in the side-stories for this. Nana thought introducing this to Kyoya would literally be like signing their life away so they've tried to keep him away with a twenty-foot pole (it won't always work XD). I'm glad you liked it friendo!**

**katsekala: katsekala! It's always a blast to hear from you! I agree about Shamal, he had nuggets of potential they just got buried on the creepy-ass shit he'd pull. We need that character growth damn it! I can never go far with a character without trying to give them that good character development so when you notice stuff for him let me know what you think about the paths he takes! It'll take a while, he's one of those big cases, but I'd love to hear your thoughts! Many hugs in return! Thanks friend!**

**utaM: Nana adopts all. It is written in stone. XD The ring battle I actually have all written out cause I'm so excited for it. It's gonna be awesome! I hope you like it when it pops up!**

**Kuroyne: Snake: *looking at the pepe meme* what... what is this? XD Kuroyne you are... way to kind. Like, past the skyline levels of sweetness. Thank you, I'm so glad you like it so much. I like Nana a lot. They're awesome to write about and are the kind of person I want to be so it's cool to write that out. I'm thrilled to know you like them too ^-^. Thank you friend!**

**GoatLike: Thank you!**

**Andorxor: Oh yeah, absolutely. Then he'd be confused about how it exploded. The Levy kicking will commence! XD**

**Mucina: Thank you! I'm ecstatic to know you liked it! And I got some giggles, that's always the best goal post to reach! Thanks Mucci!**

**Bloody-Asphode11: That would be a power couple if ever there was one XD Chaos abound, forever and always! I have your vote locked in friend! I've also got some extra stuff written for that pairing in particular since so many people wanted to see it I've just gotta wrap it up and post it. It shall come!**

**Greatazuredragon: Cool username and pic! Thanks for letting me know you liked it! I appreciate you! I'm jazzed to know it's caught your attention so well and that Snake/Nana interactions of absurdity are reeling you in! XD**

**Guest: I'm loving all the Snake love! Feel loved Snake! **

**Toaneo07: Ryu is Hanazawa's grandson and Shouto is his mafia husband. They're introduced in chapter 14 but they're talked about for a few chapters before by Reborn and Hanazawa. Sorry, I didn't realize I was using them so little that they were becoming forgettable. I gotta keep their presence more in mind! Thanks friend!**

**Newest Reader: Welcome friend! I'm jazzed to hear you liked it so much! I've locked in your vote, so you're set! I love the way you envisioned how that would go, it's very sweet and interesting! A lot of it is spot on for how it will go if that's what ends up with the most! I hope you like how it pans out. Thanks for letting me know your thoughts! I appreciate it!**


	25. Ranking Prince Futa

**Sorry for the wait friends! My New Years' resolution was to actually write one of my book ideas and try to get it published so I've been using the unnecessarily copious amount of quarantine time to focus on that (it's coming along pretty nicely, if I do say so myself). Still, I love this story too much so I've been 'bits and pieces' building up this chapter between mental plot breaks. Plus side, I already have all the Italy stuff written so once we actually GET to Italy it'll have some content already there to provide. Hope you guys like this one!**

**(Guys. This is... embarrassing. What the actual flip flop is the proper spelling of Futa/Fuuta's name. Some manga say Futa. Some say Fuuta. I always thought it was Fuuta but when I look it up the stuff all says Futa. Which one is it. WHICH ONE?!)**

**Uno is a game of war**

**Enzo is Godzilla**

**Brewery tours are cool**

**Kids need to be protected**

**Nana is... scary**

**-00-**

Ranking Prince Futa

**-00-**

"Alright, here's the deal," Nana shuffled the cards, showing off the cool tricks their dorm neighbor Juliet had taught them back in school. "Usual rules, common deck. No custom cards this round."

"Aww," Tsuyoshi whined, setting his carefully colored cards to the side. "You would have loved these ones."

Hm. That sounded promising.

"Next round," Nana assured. "The winner of this round picks what we do today. I signed the little ones up for a painting camp thingy so we'll have a lot more time."

Technically Nana had only signed up Lambo, but the guy running the thing didn't seem to mind having I-Pin as a last-minute tag-along so it was fine. With the kid's gone (they'd left a few hours ago, on a helicopter because why the fuck not) it gave them the majority of the day to do whatever they wanted.

"_You_ will have more time," Kouske corrected.

"We all went shopping the other day while you were busy," Aiko smiled apologetically at Nana, sipping at her tea.

Nana squinted at her.

"There's a cake box in the fridge with your name at it," Tsuyoshi grinned.

"Sweet! Before that though, we should figure out where each of us wants to go before we start."

"I want to go clothes shopping," Lavina voted.

Nana frowned at her. "You usually hate clothes shopping with me."

"Yes," she nodded. "But not with Kouske-kun."

Nana clicked their tongue.

Tsuyoshi leaned forwards, nearly knocking his drink over in his excitement. "Takeshi told me about this thing called an 'escape room' and it sounds like fun! I vote for that!"

Nana was pretty sure there was no escape room in the world that could hold Kouske for more than one minute tops, but Tsuyoshi was so happy about his idea they didn't want to crush his hopes.

"A brewery just opened up for tours just outside Namimori," Aiko said. "I hear its drinks are very popular."

Nana would have agreed with that one, really, but the subtle shift in Kouske's expression said that particular trip would end up in chaos. Nana didn't know why, and they didn't really _want_ to know why.

"I refuse to let you win," Nana told Aiko solemnly.

"What? Why?" Aiko asked, bewildered.

"Doesn't matter," Nana waved the question away. "Because I will win in the end anyway and we will all do a scavenger hunt!"

Nana's unwavering determination to win was not to be deterred, even when all their friends turned to them in suspicion.

Lavina pursed her lips. "...I love you, but no."

"Come on Lavina, it will be fun!"

"Not when you have that look on your face."

"Shush, you'll love it," Nana patted her shoulder. "What's your vote Kouske?"

"No comment."

That boded well.

"So we can't let Kouske or Aiko win," Nana told the others.

"Or you," Lavina added.

Tsuyoshi leaned back in his chair, tapping his chin. "Lavina-chan, if it comes down to it, wanna make a truce?"

Lavina nodded, reaching out to shake his hand. "If we need to."

"Cheats!" Nana pointed. "No cheats! This is a normal round!"

"Cheating _is_ normal," Aiko laughed. "It's what makes the game so fun."

"Childish," Kouske corrected.

Tsuyoshi bumped his shoulder, easily ignoring the death glare he got in return. "Uno is a game that tests the mind and body! It's totally an adult game."

"Phrasing," Nana finished shuffling the deck. "Alright losers, let's start."

The cards were dealt. The faces around Nana may as well have been carved from stone. Nana looked at their cards.

_"You have already lost."_

Nana would have happily told Snake to 'shut the fuck up, you don't know that' but that would have given them away. Instead, they just blinked very normally, at a very normal pace.

Kouske was smirking at them.

Shit.

-00-

"Hayato!" Tsuna shrieked, diving at his friend and tackling him out of the way.

Enzo's foot, as big as five oak trees lashed together, smashed into the ground where they had been a mere second before.

"Thank you," Hayato gasped, scrambling to his feet and dragging Tsuna up with him.

"This way guys!" Takeshi was already at the next tree line, waving at them. "The river curves off the other way!"

Oh thank god. If they had run towards the river _one more time_ Enzo might actually grow big enough to destroy the small town a few miles to the east of them.

"Where is everyone?" Tsuna called back, still stumbling as he tried to regain his balance. He yelped when he was bounced into the air due to the vibrations of Enzo's next step.

Hayato helped him stay balanced and when they ran past him Takeshi took up the spot on Tsuna's other side.

"Dino got caught up in his whip again near the river. Ryohei's trying to get him out," Takeshi smiled, sounding breathless. He had been running around the most. Being their designated lookout for any oncoming bodies of water meant he had to keep running ahead and then running back.

"And- and Kyoko-chan?" Tsuna panted.

The creases around Takeshi's eyes tightened. "I'm not sure."

"I'm right here!"

They all jumped, hopping away from the small girl that appeared at their sides.

Kyoko smiled at them happily, covered in mud and leaves. There were…. There were a lot of vines wrapped around her arms and shoulders.

"Are you okay?" Tsuna asked the most important question.

"What the hell are those for?" Hayato's much louder questioned drowned his out.

"I was talking to Dino-san," Kyoko explained, lifting her arms to better show off the ridiculous amount of vines she had gathered. She was breathing a little heavily but her eyes were glowing in a way that was giving Tsuna anxiety. "He said that he usually ties Enzo up with his whip until he calms down but his whip is too small so I got these instead."

"Tie him up?!" Tsuna really needed to stop shouting, it was taking away the little bit of air he managed to gulp down.

"Hahaha," Takeshi laughed in the most tense 'I'm very carefully ignoring the reality in front of us' kind of way Tsuna had ever heard from him.

"That could work," Hayato's eyes went narrow as he thought. "How strong are those vines?"

"Strong enough," Kyoko promised, as though she had any working knowledge of the varying levels of vine strength after living in Namimori her whole life.

"D-did Reborn-," Tsuna had to pause for a moment, dragging large gulps of air like a fish out of water. "Did Reborn p-put you… up to this?"

"It was my idea," Kyoko giggled happily. "But he did help me gather them. It was very kind of him to offer."

'Kind' his ass, Tsuna bet the demon baby just wanted to make sure they would have to go through with the plan. Too few vines and they would have been able to veto it. As it was…

"There's no way... we can do that," Tsuna shook his head. "Enzo's…. So tall. We wouldn't… be able to reach him…"

"If we take out his legs we can go for the head," Hayato said solemnly.

Tsuna wished his friend understood the pleading, half-dead look he had on his face but Hayato just took it as him needing extra encouragement.

"We can do it Tsuna! With you in charge, there's no way this won't work!"

"I'm not… in charge…"

Honestly, Kyoko was more in charge than he ever was. She had the vines and the plan, she should be the one leading them.

"What shall we do first Tsuna-kun?" Kyoko looked at him curiously.

"Why are you… asking me…?" Tsuna cried. What part of him, running like a weakened baby gazelle with the sweat glands of the ocean, looked like a leader right now?

"We're here to help you prepare for the festival right?" Takeshi pointed out. "So we should do it your way."

The festival, full of normal students for a game that required base-level physical ability. Running from a Godzilla turtle in the middle of some random forest after being para-dropped from heights that were definitely not safe to do so was not how Tsuna would ever even think to train for something as simple as a school event.

"How would we… even knock… him down," Tsuna wondered if it was possible for someone's lungs to explode from _lack_ of oxygen. They were burning in his chest in a way that made it _feel_ like they could explode.

"I can take out one of the legs," Hayato pulled out several sticks of dynamite. "Don't think I have enough for both though."

"Takeshi-kun and I could take out the other one!" Kyoko beamed.

"Ahahaha," Takeshi laughed. Tsuna was pretty sure he was setting his body on autopilot, letting his physical abilities do the work while he mentally escaped whatever traumatic event was about to happen.

Tsuna envied him.

"Once he's down you can go for the throat," Kyoko encouraged him with a sunny smile.

"_How?!"_

"You should know the answer to that by now Tsuna," Reborn said.

Screaming and throwing his entire body to the side had never worked, but Tsuna had been raised to always have hope in things regardless of how utterly hopeless the situation was. He still got shot, lost his clothes, and ran through the forest like a maniac while his friends roared, laughed, and cheered but he tried.

One day he might take comfort in that.

Maybe.

-00-

"You can't _tie_ in Uno!" Nana complained for the fifth time.

"We're already on the bus," Lavina said for the third.

"But you _can't_-"

Kouske unfolded his arms, leaning forward.

Nana's jaw clicked shut, but he continued to glare.

Tsuyoshi was giving his wife the puppy eyes.

Aiko giggled behind her hand. "What?"

"You teamed up with Kouske," Tsuyoshi whined.

"You can't prove that," she said innocently. "And you teamed up with Lavina-chan!"

"But Kouske is the one that wins!"

Nana grimaced when Kouske looked at his nails like the snottiest of rich men.

"Don't praise him," Nana scolded. He flinched back, shielding his eyes when Tsuyoshi turned the puppy eyes on him.

"We're here," Kouske stood up. He was out the door the second the bus pulled to a stop.

Aiko clapped happily, skipping after him.

Tsuyoshi offered Lavina his arm, leaving Nana to carry the wheelchair out. Even if Lavina didn't end up needing it, if any of them drank too much they could use it for wobbly-legged drunkards.

"Wow," Nana blinked once he was out.

"_Oh?"_ Snake sounded interested.

The winery was _gorgeous_. It looked more like a fancy victorian garden with the way everything was designed and set up. Holy crap, how did a place like this end up on the outskirts of Namimori? Heck, it was edging along the Kokuyou part of the city which was as crime central as a place could get in Namimori (Natsuki had said something disturbing about how allowing a little bit of crime to exist made it easier to control but Nana kept the memory locked down). The owner of the place had to have some issues with delinquents and Yakuza, but it looked _perfect_.

"_This place is quite beautiful," _Snake said.

"Yeah," Nana agreed. "The drinks this place makes must be to die for."

"_I'll have to visit one day."_

Nana's lips pursed. Another fact, tucked away.

"N-Natsuki-sama, you really… really don't need to help me with this," a heavily accented voice stuttered. Nana stood on his toes to see who was talking because that name, in this place, was _not_ a coincidence.

"I am observing. Make our investment worth it and we will continue to support your exports."

"O-of course! Thank you very much!"

Kouske was like a moth to a flame. The minute Natsuki turned away from the short woman she was talking to he kissed her forehead in greeting.

"Kouske," she hummed, pleased. "Just in time."

Nana turned to Aiko, betrayed. "Holy shit, you really _did_ team up with Kouske. How long have you been planning this?!"

Aiko gave a trilling little laugh. "Natsuki-chan bought me a new bow, I thought it only right that I offered my help in return."

"H-hello!" the woman Natsuki had been talking to welcomed everyone with her hands on her hips. "Welcome to my Brewery and Winery! My name can be MccGinty Laurie."

Ohhh, she was Irish! Nana had never really heard Japanese with an Irish accent. It was interesting.

Laurie looked over them all, grinning brightly (and carefully avoiding eye contact with the power couple next to her). Her hair was a light brown, nearly red when it caught the light right, and held up in a curly ponytail. Several strands had already fought their way to freedom, hanging around her face and bouncing when she moved. Her eyes were a light green, made brighter by the freckles all over her face. She was dressed in flannel and overalls, looking like she'd just gotten out of the fields for the afternoon.

She was also tiny as hell.

"This is my first time giving a tour, so please forgive me of any mistakes! At the end there will be a survey, so if you'd be the kind as to let me know what you thought I can work hardest to make it better!"

Nana couldn't really speak for the only other people there (an elderly couple that looked like they'd come right out of a warmhearted fairytale) but he knew that just from the look of this place his friends would have a blast.

"Let's get started!"

The plot of land wasn't as big as Nana had first thought, but it was still pretty big. It was divided into what looked like fourths, each section designated to a specific type of alcohol. The factory in the center was simple and efficient. Laurie was a blast. She was full of energy and clearly loved what she did. Whenever she forgot the word for something she'd make one up, combining it with wide hand gestures to get what she was trying to say across. The only time she ever stuttered or messed up was when she looked over at either of the Hibari couple. She'd look like she had been blinded, going red and tongue-tied in seconds.

Nana had never related so hard.

The end of the tour was a tasting back near the beginning, where there were benches and tables for people to relax.

"How refreshing," Lavina closed her eyes, sinking happily in her chair. There were some alcohols she couldn't have, but there was a fruity wine that was light enough for her to drink. "We should get a bottle before we leave."

"Sure," Nana said, totally not eavesdropping on the owner and the Hibari's chatting to the side. He wasn't sure where the Yamamotos had gone but they always got even more sappy and ridiculous when they had alcohol in their system so Nana wasn't really planning on looking for them.

"Here are the words you messed up," Natsuki handed over a clipboard. "As well as some recommendations of things to add to your speech. Doing the tours yourself is fine, for now, but as your popularity increases you will need to start hiring guides. Switch the third and second portions of the tour as well. The beers are heavier so the break needs to be earlier to balance it out. The wines are lighter so putting them at the end will keep all of your guests at reasonable levels of inebriation."

"O-of course," Laurie lifted the clipboard in front of her face, blocking them from view.

"Not bad," Kouske added on at the end. "Maintain this level of work and you should be able to expand by the end of the year."

Nana took one look at Lavina, who was dozing off in her lightweight joy, and slunk over to the trio.

"Sooo," he said as subtle as ever, "you guys know each other?"

Kouske flicked his ear as punishment for eavesdropping.

Nana kicked him.

"This is Sawada Nana," Natsuki introduced him. "Nana, this is Laurie-san."

"Hello," Laurie stuck her hand out, still holding the clipboard up like a shield.

"Hi!" Nana shook her hand happily. He let his eyes drift over to the Hibaris tellingly. "I get it."

Laurie looked relieved. "How can you-?"

"Years of practice," Nana patted her hand before letting go. "And learning about Kouske's true personality. Beauty can only hide so much."

Kouske leaned over him, smirking. "Beauty?"

"My space!" Nana waved his arm, wishing he had held onto his drink so he could splash the man. "Don't be an ass, you have more self-awareness than that."

"Nana," Natsuki lifted a hand to her lips. "You find my husband beautiful?"

"What-," Nana gapped at her, feeling very much wrong-footed. He always commented on how pretty they were, why the fuck were they calling him out _now?!_ "What the fuck is going on? What are you doing?"

Natsuki patted his head like he was a small child. "Nothing you need to worry about yet. Did you enjoy the tour?"

"Uh," Nana crossed his arms. Was this something he wanted to know? Was this something he was willing to risk what little remained of his sanity to learn? No. Not really. "It was great. This place is beautiful and the drinks were delicious. You clearly care about this place a lot, and you're really skilled."

Laurie rose up like a helium balloon. "Thank you! I love it with all of heart! Natsuki-sama and Kouske-sama, they helped the start up."

"Yeah?" Nana looked at them. "I didn't know you guys were such avid supporters of stuff like this."

Natsuki hooked her arm with Kouske's. "We met Laurie in Ireland a few years ago. She had a talent, it would have been a waste to let it die due to lack of opportunity."

"They support me very much," Laurie bowed even with the clipboard glued to her face. "I must do my best to live up to, um... "

"Expectations?" Nana guessed, saying the word first in English then in Japanese.

"Yes!" Laurie pointed at him. "Expec-tations. You speak English?"

Nana switched over easily. It was nice to talk to someone in English again. "Yeah. A little bit of Gaelic too, but not very well. My accent messes up a lot of the words."

"Me too!" Laurie lowered the clipboard, tapping at her chest excitedly. "Oh, I mean Japanese. Not Gaelic. I am fluent in Gaelic."

Nana laughed. Laurie was adorable. "We can help each other out then!"

"Yes!"

"Nana made a friend!"

Nana pinched the bridge of his nose as Tsuyoshi cried out from where the buses were waiting. "You're not my Dad Tsuyoshi, you don't have to cry every time I make a friend."

"I'm so proud," he sniffed.

Aiko took a commemorative photo.

Nana rolled his eyes.

"Sorry Nana's new friend and boss lady, we have to be getting back. Our kids will be home soon."

"Oh," Laurie seemed genuinely disheartened.

Nana looked around at the beautiful, but isolated, farm/brewery. There had been a few workers but they had kept to themselves whenever they passed by. Laurie didn't seem to know them very well yet. "Wanna exchange contact information? It's gotta be a little lonely out here by yourself, and my friends might be crazy but they're really nice. We get together to do something fun every once in a while, if you're ever up for it."

Laurie glanced furtively at the Hibaris.

Nana nodded, feeling like a Monarch granting a boon.

"T-That'd be really nice," Laurie offered her phone. Nana passed her his. "I don't mean to, um, step over any toes. They're just… really pretty."

"You're not stepping on anybody's toes," Nana assured her. Natsuki and Kouske were not the jealous types and they were clearly used to drawing everyone's eye. They wouldn't get made at Laurie for admiring them.

"You're very kind," Laurie shook his hand again, taking her phone back with a happy little hop.

"Thanks?" Nana smiled back.

"Lavinaaa," Aiko shook the silverette's shoulder gently. Lavina snored. "Oh dear."

Nana laughed. "Let's get her home. It was nice meeting you Laurie-chan! Congrats on opening up your own place, it was a lot of fun!"

"Thank you!" Laurie waved at them all, even once the bus started to pull out. Nana, Tsuyoshi, and Aiko stuck their hands out the window and waved back until they couldn't see her anymore.

"You guys know a lot of people," Tsuyoshi sat across from Natsuki and Kouske. "Do you fund a lot of wineries?"

"Just that one," Natsuki tapped away at her phone. "We support talent that is stifled under natural oppression."

"Natural oppression?" Aiko wondered.

"Lack of money or opportunities," Kouske clarified, leaning over Nana so he could see Natsuki's phone when she turned it towards him.

"_Why_ am I in the middle?!" Nana shrunk down between the pair, covering his face. If Lavina had been awake, instead of pressed into Aiko's shoulder and snoring away, she would have laughed.

Tsuyoshi did it for her.

"Because you're so red! You drank too much Nana, you might fall over."

"That's not why I'm red you dumbass," Nana huffed.

Aiko hummed in the back of her throat, understanding.

"Why are you red then?" Natsuki looked downright evil when she leaned into Nana's space.

Nana leaned away, jerking back when he brushed against Kouske's arm that had stretched behind him so he could tuck Natsuki's hair behind her ear.

"Y-you two need to chill," he warned, now perched on the very edge of his chair. "You're gonna give me a heart attack."

Natsuki smiled but went back to paying attention to her phone. Nana turned to Kouske. Kouske stared at him like it was a challenge.

Nana clapped, cursing when he didn't blink.

A few seconds later his eyes started to burn.

Kouske remained impassive.

"Blink!" Nana demanded.

Kouske stared.

"Nana, you've never won a staring contest. Not even against Tsuyoshi," Aiko reminded him.

"I can win!"

"Yeah!" Tsuyoshi cheered.

Tsuyoshi was Nana's favorite now. He always had Nana's back.

"Make him take us for ice-cream if he loses," Tsuyoshi advised.

"Of course," Nana scrunched up the outsides of his eyes to try to relieve the dryness.

The bus pulled to a stop.

Lavina sneezed.

Nana blinked.

"_Shit!"_

-00-

Tsuna wanted to die.

"Did you fight a _bear_?" Nana greeted them when they walked through the door of TakeSushi.

Tsuna didn't blame his Dad for the question. He was still in his boxers and all of them were covered in at least three layers of mud, grass, and sticks.

"A turtle," Kyoko corrected, happily holding a small Enzo in her arms. Ryohei was punching the air, jogging in place because he had some internal power source the rest of humanity had been born without.

"Kyo-kun," Tsuna said. He really shouldn't have been surprised when Kyoya showed up right as they were starting their attack on Giant Enzo. It was thanks to him they had been able to knock the creature down so quickly, although they had to run for their lives like hunted animals in the forest the following two hours before Enzo was small enough to get back on the helicopter so they could all go home. Kyoya, who had his own helicopter apparently, had left as soon as he felt they had all received the 'appropriate level of punishment for their actions'.

Dino was being carried between Hayato and Takeshi, his head hung low. "I am so sorry. This was not the training we were supposed to do."

"This was better," Reborn strutted forward, as clean and pristine as always. "Well done Tsuna."

"I don't want your praise," Tsuna groused, sitting down to take off his shoes. He got one off before deciding he really didn't have the energy to do anything more so he just laid down.

Ryohei rushed forward.

"Absolutely not," Aiko barred the way. "You are all _filthy._ Go back outside, I'll get the hose."

Tsuyoshi laughed from somewhere behind her. "Haven't had to use that in a while! What were you kids doing?"

"Hiking!"

"Training."

"EXTREME BOXING!"

"Playing!"

Takeshi, Hayato, Ryohei, and Kyoko all spoke at once.

"Dying," Tsuna added his two-cents.

"Well, I'm glad you all lived," Tsuyoshi sounded amused. "I'll get you all some towels. It's still pretty warm out!"

Nana had to pull Tsuna out into the yard because he refused to move another inch for the rest of the day. The others joined him, lying shoulder to shoulder. Not even the chilled water of the hose made Tsuna want to move. Kyoko and Hayato must have noticed, since they were lying directly next to him. When they all had to roll so Aiko could spray down their backs too they rolled him with them.

"Takeshi," Aiko sighed. "Don't fall asleep."

"Too late for that," Tsuyoshi appeared above them, head blocking out the sun. Tsuna had to squint even harder against his brightness. "It really is warm out. Why don't you all take a nap here while you dry out?"

Tsuna didn't need to be told twice. He allowed himself to blink three more times, maximum, before succumbing to the void that had been calling him back since he first woke up.

-00-

They looked like tuna fish, all crammed together. Nana had a photo, tucked away in an old scrapbook, of Tsuna, Takeshi, and Kyoko on their fourth day of preschool. They had been trying to dig a hole to the other side of the world in the sandbox. They had gotten pretty far, considering the size of their hands (plus the fact that they had used their _hands_ to dig the hole). If Nana had stepped into it, it would have come up to their knee.

Aiko and Tsuyoshi had picked them up that day while Nana was out with Kyoya. All three of them had worked themselves to exhaustion and were found in the hole, leaning against each other as they snoozed away.

The collection of teens outside of TakeSushi was a lot more chaotic than that sweet moment, but the feeling surrounding it was the same.

"What exactly did you do to them?" Nana asked, taking a picture and texting it to Lavina. Kouske had offered to drop her off at her doctor's appointment that day on his way home and since he was leaving Natsuki of course went with him. Lavina had seemed oddly nervous about this visit, but it was the one where they decided if she could go to Italy or not. Depending on the answer she might want to be left alone. Nana would wait until dinner time at the latest and if she didn't show up he'd track her down.

"_Dino_," Reborn emphasized, "was careless. Enzo landed in an abandoned water well. When they tried to run they guided him to several rivers as well."

Nana side-eyed the turtle. He had seen the thing grow with his own eyes and it still didn't seem possible. "How big can he even get?"

Reborn shrugged. "He's gotten to be around the size of a skyscraper. He could probably grow bigger than that too."

If Kyoko wasn't hugging the thing so tightly Nana would throw it away from the sleeping, vulnerable children.

"...That's horrifying."

"It's useful."

"Coming from you that means the same thing."

"Nana," Aiko poked her head out of the door. "Tsuyoshi and I are running to the store, would you like to come?"

Nana looked down at the pile of adolescents. "We're just gonna leave them like this?"

"They're like a cake," Aiko mimed putting a pan in an oven, "we need to let them bake."

"Sure," Nana shrugged, "why not. I need to grab some more straws for Lambo and I-Pin anyway. Reborn, can you watch over them?"

Reborn was already asleep in Tsuna's hair.

Nana shook his head. Tsuna's hair was very soft and fluffy, but was it really that good of a pillow?

Tsuyoshi stepped out, locking the door behind him. "Let's go!"

"Kay," Nana yawned, trailing behind the two. Alcohol always made him sleepy. He'd have to take a nap himself at some point.

-00-

Tsuna sat up, staring blearily out at the street. His eyes felt crusted over, every part of him warm.

"Where am I?" he croaked, rubbing at his eyes as he looked around.

His friends were around him, sleeping. Weren't they in the mountains? No, wait, they'd come back from that hadn't they?

Tsuna smacked his lips to get rid of the dry feeling, wracking his brain for what happened.

Oh, right. They'd made it back and Aiko had hosed them all off in front of the Sushi shop. Then he'd fallen asleep.

He was still only in his boxers.

Tsuna flushed, jumping up and away from his friends. How embarrassing.

Takeshi and Kyoko mumbled when he moved but they didn't wake up. Tsuna melted a bit when their empty hands met and held on to each other. It was like when they were kids and would take naps together. Now they had Hayato, sleeping like a mummy next to Takeshi and Ryohei starfished next to his sister.

Tsuna took a picture on his phone. He set it as his screensaver.

"What are you doing?"

Tsuna clapped a hand over his mouth, shriveling up like a startled prune.

Reborn tapped his head with his foot.

Dear God. Had he really gotten so used to the tiny hitman being on his head that he no longer even questioned the added weight? Was Reborn just a part of his hair now?!

"Hey," Reborn kicked his head a little harder. "Answer the question."

"I-I'm just going to get dressed," Tsuna whispered, twisting his fingers together in front of his stomach. "I have a bag nearby."

Reborn stroked Leon. There was a glint in his eyes.

"Alright. Go get it. I"ll watch your minions."

"_Friends,"_ Tsuna stressed.

"Same thing."

"No, it's really not."

Reborn kicked his head hard enough to make it bend forward before jumping off. "Get going."

Tsuna grumbled, rubbing at his bruised skull as he walked down the street. It was kind of weird how TakeSushi was always busy and yet somehow everyone seemed to just _know_ whenever they were closed so the streets were pretty much empty.

It made it easier to get to his bag without anyone seeing him in his stupid smiley-face boxers. He needed to get new ones when they went to the mall. First priority.

Tsuna peered into the nearest hiding place, a little crevice in between the stone fences of two of the houses just a little ways away from TakeSushi.

It was empty.

Tsuna smacked his forehead. This had been the one he had gone to right before he met I-Pin and he'd completely forgotten to put the bag back.

Oh well, there was another one not too far away. It was hidden at the base of one of the trees in the nearby park. Most of the kids played at the bigger, nicer playground just five minutes away so it should be pretty empty.

Tsuna groaned, wiping the sweat from his face. It was almost winter, why was it so hot? The weather sucked.

He stopped by the water fountain first when he got to the park. He was probably dehydrated from running around all day with only one water bottle (that got tipped over in the helicopter when Hayato started arguing with Takeshi again). Splashing his face with some water Tsuna took his time uncovering the bag and getting dressed. There was no one at the park so it was fine.

"Tsuna-nii's sprinting ability is ranked 67,345 out of 86,202 people."

Tsuna flapped his arms around, tangled in his hoodie. Who was talking? Where they talking about him?!

"Running ability… 40,323 out of 86,202 people. Overall abilities aren't bad. Yay! Tsuna-nii went up in his rankings again!"

Tsuna finally managed to force his arms into the right holes, pulling the hoodie roughly down over his face.

There was a boy over by the slide.

...He was floating.

The boy pulled out a large book, flopping down on the ground and writing in it excitedly. "He's really working hard. Good job Tsuna-nii."

"Um," Tsuna squinted, trying to see any wires. It was hard to tell through the oddly sparkly red swirling around him.

The boy looked up.

"Tsuna-nii!" he cheered, jumping to his feet. He lifted the large book, running over. "I was planning to meet you tomorrow at your school! Hello!"

"Ah, hi?" Tsuna wilted under the expectant stare. "I'm sorry but… who are you?"

"I"m Futa!" the boy put the book, which was almost as big as his body, inside his coat. Tsuna stared. There was no sign of the book sticking out. "I've been calling you Tsuna-nii. Is that okay?"

"What? Um, I guess, but where did-?"

"This is great!" Futa grasped his hands. "I need your help!"

Reborn and Dad weren't even here, why were weird things happening?!

"I don't-"

"I'm being chased," Futa said solemnly. "By bad guys from the mafia. I need you to keep me safe!"

"_What?!_"

Futa nodded. "You're the only one I know I can turn to. You're ranked first in being unable to turn down a request after all."

"Why are you insulting me if you want help?!" Tsuna cried.

Futa blinked. He tilted his head. "I'm not insulting you. That's just what the rankings said."

"H-hold on," Tsuna waved his hands in the air. "Go back to the part about the mafia? They're chasing you? Why? How did they even get here? How did _you_ get here?!"

Futa tapped the pocket he had put the book in (that shouldn't have been able to fit, what the _heck_). "They want me to rank things for them, but I don't want to so I ran away! Please Tsuna-nii, they're gonna kidnap me!"

"Kidnap?!"

"Hey!"

The two boys whipped around. Several men in black suits were standing at the entrance to the playground. Tsuna paled.

"There you are," the tallest man smiled maliciously. They stalked towards them.

Tsuna pulled Futa behind him.

Were these guys really mafia? Tsuna didn't understand anything Futa said about rankings but he was just a kid! They wouldn't really hurt a kid, right?

"Grab the ranking Prince," the man ordered his men, "and this time tie him up right you idiots. Kill the other one."

Tsuna felt his throat close up.

He couldn't fight. He wasn't good at it, he'd never even been in a real one. He was a good runner, and he could probably carry Futa but how were they supposed to get past them? He couldn't leave Futa behind, these people were going to hurt him, but how was he supposed to-

"Run!" Miyu shrieked, punching the man closest to them as hard as she could. His jaw cracked as he stumbled to the side and fell. Turning on her heel she grabbed Tsuna's wrist, scooping Futa into her arms, and barreled through the other man in their way. Several hands reached out to grab them but Miyu's surprise attack let them slip by fast enough to escape. There were outraged cries behind them.

"Sasegawa-san?!"

"Oh no," she squeaked under her breath. "Oh no, oh no, oh no. I think I broke his jaw. Oh no. Oh dear."

"Sasegawa Miyu," Futa said, flopping bonelessly in the air from where he was tucked under her arm. "34th most likely to apologize for punching a serial killer."

"That man was a serial killer?!" Miyu turned an odd mix of pale and flushed.

"No," Futa said.

Miyu either didn't hear him or was too flustered to properly process his answer.

"Help!" she called, running straight for the corner where one of the Disciplinary Members was standing watch. "These children are in danger!"

"Danger?"

"Oh no," Tsuna cried under his breath when both of Takeshi's parents turned the corner next to the Disciplinary Member.

"Miyu-chan?" Aiko blinked at them, shifting both of her shopping bags to her left hand. "Tsuna-kun?"

Her eyes drifted past them. Tsuyoshi frowned.

"What's going on?" Nana peered over their shoulders. "Tsu-kun?"

Tsuna wasn't entirely sure what happened after that. There was a scream behind them, much closer than Tsuna was comfortable with, and Aiko's hand was outstretched. The Disciplinary Member had his phone out, but he didn't seem like he was going to interfere in whatever was happening. Dad was gone. Tsuna didn't see where he went. Tsuyoshi was next to them, hands raised carefully as Miyu came to a frazzled stop in front of him. She flinched away when he reached out to help.

Tsuyoshi kneeled down in front of her, palms out. "Are you okay Miyu-chan? Are you or the kids hurt anywhere?"

Then Miyu was crying, letting Tsuna and Futa go as she hugged Tsuyoshi (who looked both shellshocked and like his birthday had come early).

"W-we're okay," Tsuna stuttered out. "Sasegawa-san helped us get away before anything could happen."

There were… sounds behind them. Painful sounds. Tsuna placed a hand on Futa's head to keep him facing forward.

"I didn't realize plastic straws could be so sharp," Aiko was looking behind them, eyes wide. She reached over Tsuyoshi's shoulder to run her hand comfortingly through Miyu's hair but her eyes stayed trained on whatever was going on with the men that had followed them.

"We'll have to ask Nana about them," Tsuyoshi was beaming, hugging Miyu back in the most gently fierce way Tsuna had ever seen.

"T-they were going to hurt Tsuna-kun," Miyu babbled, shaking from adrenaline and fear. "A-and this boy! I.. I couldn't let them… I hit him! There was- was a sound! D-did they chase us? Are we s-safe?"

"It's okay," Tsuyoshi patted her back while Aiko cooed at her. "You're all safe. Nana's taking care of it. Great job keeping Tsuna and his friend safe. You did amazing!"

"You were very brave," Aiko agreed, looking Tsuna and Futa up and down. Tsuna nodded when she met his eyes, silently asking if they were okay.

"Pieces of shit," Nana spat, coming from behind them. He placed a hand on Tsuna's shoulder, turning him to face them. "Are you okay Tsuna? Are any of you hurt?"

Tsuna kept his eyes up. There was blood on his Dad's knuckles and a bit on his chin, but it didn't look like it belonged to Nana. The groans of pain were louder now. "We're okay Dad. They were trying to take Futa-kun but Sasegawa-san helped us before they tried anything."

Nana looked at him, then Futa who was watching everything with sparkly-eyed interest, before focusing on Miyu who was still shaking in Tsuyoshi's arms. Aiko was kneeled next to them now, talking to her quietly.

Nana's face softened. "I'm glad you're all okay. How about you all head over to TakeSushi until everything gets cleared up? I'll join you as soon as Kyoya gets here."

Tsuna grabbed his Dad's hand. "There might be more people," he frowned. "They seem really dangerous."

Nana smiled at him. "Don't worry Tsu-kun, I'll have Juto-kun with me." Nana waved a hand at the Disciplinary Member who was staring back with an unreadable expression on his face. "And if anyone else shows up I'll make sure to run if it gets too dangerous."

Tsuna felt torn. On the one hand, his Dad had clearly taken out the group of men that had been following them with ease, and his Dad was one of the strongest people he knew. On the other hand, people who wanted to hurt Futa might approach his Dad and on principal that felt like a situation that should be avoided at all costs.

"I'll stay with Nana," Reborn appeared on his Dad's shoulder.

"Were you here the whole time?!" Tsuna demanded.

Reborn smirked. "Don't be stupid. Get going Tsuna."

Tsuna scowled at him, but Futa was tugging at his pants and Miyu was starting to stand up again (apologizing profusely for getting Tsuyoshi's shirt wet). He looked at his Dad. "Stay safe."

"Always," Nana hugged him, ruffling his hair. They looked down at Futa.

Futa grinned up at them. He laughed, pleased, when Nana ruffled his hair too. "Sawada Nana! Number one most likely to adopt a person in need!"

Nana sputtered. "I don't do it _that_ often!"

Reborn snorted.

"I don't!"

Tsuna was still shaking. As they walked away he grabbed Futa's hand, making sure the boy was okay after they were just threatened. He seemed fine. Happy even.

What was with kids, going through this stuff like it was normal?

Tsuna frowned. Futa was a stranger, and he came out of nowhere, but he was still a _kid_. Still a _person._ Those guys said they were going to tie him up. Again.

"Tsuna-nii?" Futa tugged at his hand, staring up at him.

He looked like a little puppy.

Tsuna licked his lips, debating. "Futa-kun… where are your parents?"

"Hmm?" Futa looked confused. "I don't have any. Why?"

Dad wouldn't be made this time either, right?

"Do you want to stay with us for a while?"

-00-

Nana watched his son take the boy's hand as they walked away. He was such a good boy.

"Juto-kun?" Nana said happily, smiling at one of Kyoya's Disciplinary Members. Nana didn't often see him around, but was usually stationed here in the late afternoons so they'd run into each other a few times.

"...Yes Sawada-sama," Juto swallowed.

"Would you mind turning around for a little while?" Nana asked sweetly.

Juto turned immediately. He covered his ears.

Smart boy.

Nana cracked his knuckles. He looked down at the beaten men on the pavement.

The man closest to him, the one with a plastic straw, enforced by Lighting Flames and thrown with the accuracy of a sharpshooter, lodged deep enough in his hand that it came out the other side looked up at him in fear.

"What are you doing in Namimori?" Nana wondered, rage coiling softly around their heart.

Reborn hummed from his shoulder. "I can tell you. For a price."

"No," Nana kneeled in front of the apparent leader. He had almost grabbed Miyu by the hair. Miyu had been doing so good lately. If a large, scary-looking man grabbed her like that who knows how far she would be set back. "I want to hear it from their own mouths. You might want to answer before Namimori's defender gets here. He won't be as nice as me."

The man swallowed. He kept his mouth shut.

"I see." Nana smiled. His hands lit up green. "Kouske said to practice using these on other people but I was afraid to hurt him. He'll be so happy when he learns I followed his advice."

Reborn watched with interest.

Coming to Namimori had been one of his best decisions yet.

-00-

"-so they were trying to get him to 'rank' stuff for them," Nana explained. "Whatever the fuck that means."

Kyoya was nearly snarling. Natsuki and Kouske looked interested.

"I've heard of Futa-kun," Natsuki admitted. "I didn't realize quite how accurate his rankings are. If it's true his abilities would be as prized as these men claimed."

"I wasn't lying!" the leader sobbed. "I told you I wasn't lying!"

Nana rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Huh. If Natsuki says so, I guess you weren't. Sorry for the last bit then."

Kyoya kicked at the men tied up in a circle. Nana wondered if he should stop his student, they were already beaten up pretty well as it was, but he decided against it.

"Anyway, that's all that happened. He says this is everyone, and if he's telling the truth about Futa-kun then I guess he hasn't technically lied to me about anything yet."

"Take them away," Kyoya ordered. Tetsu and a few other members lifted the mafia men up and started carrying them away to... somewhere. Nana wasn't really interested in learning where. Kyoya looked at Nana and nodded before following after.

"Aw," Nana held a hand over his heart. It was nice to get some genuine acknowledgment from him sometimes.

"You'll be needing another renovation soon I take it," Natsuki sounded like she was laughing.

Nana looked over at them. "What? For what?" He frowned. "My house? No! You did way too much in the first place! I don't need even _more_ space!"

Natsuki chuckled. "Nana, it's barely been a month and you've already adopted three children. I highly doubt the rooms we gave are going to be enough in a years time."

Nana struggled for words. "I- what- I haven't adopted _three_!"

"Lambo-kun," Natsuki ticked off on her fingers. "I-Pin-chan, though that is very recent yes. And Futa-kun."

"I haven't adopted Futa-kun!"

"He doesn't have parents," Reborn casually inserted himself into the conversation, lounging along the stone fence of the house next to them. "And no where to go."

Nana opened his mouth.

He closed it.

"Exactly," Natsuki patted his cheek, eyes flickering to his chin with an amused little smile. "Don't worry Nana, we know your tastes. You'll love it."

"I mean, yeah," Nana rubbed at his temples, "but it's still too much. At this point I don't think I can ever match up to everything you guys are doing for me."

There was a long silence.

Nana squinted up at Kouske.

The man had not said a single word since they had arrived. He'd just stood there... staring.

"You're creeping me out," Nana told him bluntly. "What's wrong with you?"

Kouske blinked once, slowly. Something was off about it. Usually that meant he was especially resigned with whatever stupidity was going on around him. This... this didn't feel like one of those times.

Natsuki smiled, small and sharp. "It's starting to get late. You should head back Nana, before Tsuna-kun starts to worry."

Nana shifted on the balls of his feet, staring at Kouske. What was wrong with him? "...Right. I'll see you guys later?"

"Of course."

Nana waited for them to start walking first but they stayed where they were. Natsuki still had her arms wrapped around Kouske's left arm, but she made no move to pull her husband along like the usual times when he stood there staring into space like a dumbass.

Nana cough, nervously clearing his throat. "Right. Um, goodnight then."

Kouske grabbed his arm when he passed and Nana nearly let out a scream that would have won him an Oscar in a horror movie.

"Jesus _Christ _Kouske, what is your _probl_-"

Kouske reached out and brushed his thumb over Nana's chin.

Nana's brain short-circuited. He stood there with his mouth open, unblinking.

Kouske pulled his hand back, looking down at the traces of blood that had been on Nana's chin.

"Hm."

He stared at Nana, blinking slowly again. He wrapped an arm around Natsuki's shoulder and started to walk away. Natsuki threw a mischievous at Nana over her shoulder before leaning into Kouske's side.

Nana stared at them until they had long since turned the corner.

He knelt down and covered his face with his hands. His skin felt like it was burning.

"Aerrrrrrrgahhhh," Nana shrieked quietly into their hands.

What. The _fuck._ Was happening.

_"Ah_," Snake said, sounding like a man that had come across a world-changing revelation. _"I see."_

"What," Nana hissed, still hiding from the world. "What, exactly, do you see?"

_"I'm afraid this is something you're going to have to figure out on your own,"_ Snake said. The absolute bastard.

"You're not _helping_," Nana tapped at his eyebrows, breathing overexaggerated as he tried to calm his racing heart.

_"You really should be getting back Nana. Tsunayoshi will search for you if you don't at least text him that you are okay."_

"Stop using my son against me!"

_"Then stop letting it work."_

"Agh!"

**-00-**

**Laurie MccGinty is an OC graciously offered by bloodshound, I hope you all liked her cause I sure as heck do. She's heckin adorable.**

**I have good news and more good news (with only a bit of bad news for some people). Clearly, HibairCoupleXNana has had a pretty resounding victory. Almost resounding. I had a whole heap ton of votes for Snake too, that poor lonely snake man. The results were crazy close. So I'mma do both. It works out anyway cause the relationship I would have done for NanaXSnake works perfectly no matter what, and adding the Hibari couple only makes it cuter. Snake just wants them cuddles man. To be more clear, he's Asexual. Always has been, that's always been the plan. Only a handful of people voted for other pairings and since so many people (it's really, deeply amazing that so many people hold an interest in the lives of these characters. It makes me tear up) wanted both of those... both of those it shall be. Boom. Done. Congrats! For any future pairings those will be decided later. For the kiddos mostly, cause they need some serious growth and bonding. They have too much to focus on right now. For any of the adult chara's if you ship any of them let me know! I haven't thought of any besides what's already there but I find pretty much any pairing cute and just having the thought offered would give me adorbs ideas. Hope you guys liked the start to the romance build in this chapter!**

**ACasualHuman: Vote locked in friend! Thanks for the apartment congrats, we've settled in nicely. It's a very much needed change. I can't believe how emotionally great I've been feeling just because of the move. Stay safe and healthy my dear!**

**bloodshound: You... are a very wonderful bean full of very wonderful bean things. Thanks for even more OC's! You've seriously given me an army to choose from, it's awesome. I hope you like the first appearance of Laurie! She's so fricken cute! Nana is Team Kids . And speaking of torching and frying their enemies... XD The little shit kids always end up being the cutest ones. It's a weird natural law I have discovered. Thanks as always for pointing out the moments that caught your eye the most, it really helps me figure out what makes an impact so I can but the same kind of focus on important bits in the future. YOU ROCK! The Hibaris are stepping up their game! Behold... the moment. Stay safe during this turbulent time dear friend, all healthy thoughts towards you and your loved ones!**

**Greatazuredragon: Thanks as always for your uplifting words! And who wouldn't like such a cool name and pic? They are the bomb!**

**Kirie Mitsuru: Your vote has been counted! Chill and fluff is the greatest build-up to tension and adrenaline ;D Nana and Lambo are definitely going to have 'myson!' conversation. It's gonna be heckin cute. Fon is going to have a very interesting time in Namimori XD Nana *meeting Xanxus*: fuck this guy. *learns about his past* Oh. Oh no. *pulling out adoption forms* I must... I must adopt! XD Never apologize for a long review! Feedback means more reflection growth (and them good, happy feels) for me! It's never a bad thing in my eyes! You're always such a joy to hear from! Stay safe and healthy my friend!**

**katsekala: Aw, I'm glad I can return some of the wonderful feelings your reviews leave with me! Ah jeez, that Xanxus and Nana paternal bond would be ADORABLE! So sweet and oftentimes hilarious. My favorite things. Fon is also one of my favs, tis true. That baby body thing has just gotta get in the way all the time T-T Any ships with an Arcebeleno would take fricken forever to get to. You are the sweetest! I greatly appreciate you my dear! Many kisses in return!**

**Anya: I'm back! I work a lot so it sometimes takes me awhile to actually find the time to write (and the panic over whether it's good enough and rewrite things like, five times). Sorry for worrying you dearie! The Hibaris and sparring is definitely a... highlight for them in their relationship XD *return eyebrow wriggle* XD And it is true! Kouske/Natsuki/Nana is gonna be official canon (in this story) so... happy early/belated birthday! Snake's also gonna be there, just in a slightly different way. So double surprise! For MHA fics I keep hopping around to different character-focused ones like Todoroki, Shinso, and Aizawa (my absolute fave!). I do not have the brain capacity right now to read any full-length stuffs (though I have a bunch bookmarked for when life is at a better time) so I've mostly been reading fluffly family/friend one-shots. Super cute. Love em. Oh jeez, why did you have to say One Piece?! Now it's back in my mind! I'm gonna fall into the cycle again! Ahhhh! XD We can just be two cool, badass peeps, fighting the world for that good story jazz! Stay safe and healthy my dear friend! As always I love to hear from you!**

**hoshikasa: Your vote is locked in! Stay safe and healthy out there!**

**Yuki Nagasawa: We shall be nice together, and the world shall be nicer for it! It sucks that you get sick all the time now, especially at a time like this. Be safe dearie, I'm sending only the happiest of thoughts your way! I love reading all about your OC's btw. They're such a great group of characters! I have some stuff written up for them already, and they're flipping adorable! Thank you for adding your color to this story!**

**James: Nothing was out of the cards, honestly. I usually have no plans for relationships going into a story so that as it progresses whatever romance pops up is a result of natural character interaction. Then I typically get reader input cause I love you guys and romantic relationships rarely, if ever, get in the way of the plot I already have planned. That would be hella cute though! Stay healthy and safe friend!**

**Mike: Those are sandals everyone in the world needs to own XD Vote counted, thank you! Stay safe and healthy out there!**

**Anne: Thank YOU! That was super sweet of you! Thank you so much :D KawahiraXNana will absolutely at least have a one-shot. It's too interesting of a pairing not to explore ;D Stay safe and healthy out there!**

**ADDBaby: The pure... energy... it's so... motivational! Thank you! We have a lot of parking space here, it's super nice! Right next to the train tracks, so that sucks sometimes, but other than that it's perfect! Your well-wishes helped make my lucky home dreams come true! I want you to look into this *holds up mirror* so all your kind words and thoughts are reflected back to you! My goodness gracious, you are seriously so full of positivity and love it shocks me into an amazeball of good feels. You have no idea how wonderful it feels to see all the things that stood out to you and learn how they made you feel and laugh. It's just... soul touching. Thank you. Forever and always. I hope your positivity and kindness towards me is reflected towards you by everyone you know, cause you deserve some serious heartfelt love my friend. You are. the BOMB. P.S. then I shall continue to give the gifts! P.S.S. I... need that blanket. XD Stay healthy and safe dearheart, only good things your way!**

**Guest: sorry for the heartbreak XD Hope it glues back together the more your read. And hey, thanks for reading! Stay safe and healthy friend!**

**animeanimal12: Oh look. It's me. In a puddle of goo on the floor. Cause you melted me with your crazy kind words. Seriously, that was super sweet of you, thank you so much. I hope your health and safety is top-notch in this difficult time, only good and happy things heading your way!**

**Guest: You are, indeed, reading into that correctly XD Stay safe and healthy friendo!**

**Megi Keishii: Oh yeah, he totes found them XD Glad you liked it! Stay safe and healthy my dear!**

**yaoishipsforlife: He absolutely is, you've already got him figure out XD Fon's gonna be a delight! Stay safe and healthy out there!**

**Junyahui: Welcome aboard! Healthy, happy thoughts your way!**

**UnknownRegion: They are, in fact, absolutely adorable together. You are correct. Hope you like how it starts to turn out! Stay safe and healthy friend!**

**foxychick1: Thank you! I'm glad it's caught your eye :D Stay safe and healthy out there!**

**JadeDragon100: I don't... I can't... look at you. You are too bright. To nice! Literally turning into a melted puddle here. That was crazy kind and sweet of you, and it made my entire day. Thank you so much, that day had been a rough one and you did the impossible by making it better. All the happy and healthy thoughts are headed your way my friend, I hope the world is as kind to you as you are to it.**

**ChaosHearth: Welcome back! Glad it was able to draw you in again :D Stay safe and healthy out there dear Chaos!**

**Akuma no Hono: Your vote has been tallied! It is gonna be crazy adorable. And yes! The Iemitsu story arc is so far from being done. He's a huge part of Nana's life, and he's got his own growing to do. I hope you like how it goes! Takeshi and Kyoya definitely makes sense, and I agree a lot with the Kyoko and Haru parts! Kyoko is the best sis, and when I look at Haru all I see is, like, half the girls in the elementary school I work at. I love them, but man can they drive me insane. Thanks for the feedback dearie! Stay safe and healthy!**

**KawaiiSadist: Boom. Both. Merry Chrishannueastbirthday. XD Stay healthy and safe other there friend!**


	26. Interlude of Cute

**Technically a part 2 to the last chapter. A lot of the stuff (not all, but a lot) in this chapter I wasn't planning on writing, just alluding to in a short little sentence later. The Lavina stuff was supposed to happen. That's about it. I'd been really anxious and sleep deprived over the last few weeks and everything I wrote was an absolute disaster (there's a new BNHA fic I posted that is absolutely me just... word barfing. Everywhere) so I didn't want to try to approach the plot until I was in a better mind state. Which I am! I escaped into the wilderness for a few days and it was great! **

**Anywho's this chapter is a continuation of the very end of the last with mostly just cute moments of the family bonding together. They're all super cute together. Next chapter is a bit of a timeskip, a week tops, to get to Tsuna's and Reborn's birthdays so these moments were going to be mentioned but not really expanded on. Then I went crazy. So they're here now. I hope you guys like the cute!**

**Nana has parenting worries**

**Snake calls bullshit**

**Tsuna is a precious baby bean brother**

**Lavina needs a hug**

**Kouske needs a hug?**

**Let's go shopping!**

**-00-**

Interlude of Cute

**-00-**

Nana bit their thumb anxiously as they walked back to TakeSushi.

"_What are you worried about this time?" _Snake sighed.

"Reborn said Futa doesn't have any family," Nana started.

"I did say that," Reborn agreed, watching them curiously.

Nana shushed him. "He's older than Lambo-kun and Ipin-chan. So he's going to understand more things automatically than they have."

"_Yes, that does seem to be the trend with children of differing ages."_

Nana rolled their eyes, hand dropping from their face. "That _means_ I need to talk to him about potentially adopting him."

They hadn't talked to the other two about it, not really. For I-pin they wanted to wait until the mystery surrounding her 'master' was cleared up and with Lambo's mentality they were pretty sure trying to have a serious conversation about it would just confuse and upset him. He called Nana 'Maman' but Nana didn't know if that was because he actually wanted Nana to be his parent or if Lambo was projecting his own parents _onto _Nana to fulfill his familial dreams. Either way, Nana didn't want to shatter the consistency he was starting to build. As soon as he was more confidant in his place in their home, and he matured a little more mentally, then Nana would sit him down for a talk.

With Futa it was a whole different kind of ballpark. Futa was, clearly, a highly intelligent boy. Emotionally and mentally he was far more likely to question everything and with the tiny bit of history Nana had on him putting that kind of conversation off would only make Futa suspicious of their intentions.

Nana was an adaptable person. Big changes didn't usually stress them out as much as other people so adopting a kid right after meeting them wasn't shocking or stressful enough to make Nana put it off. They knew what their answer would be a week, a month, a _year _from now so there was no reason to wait.

For a young boy that had just gotten away from a group that hunted him down from another country, it would probably be overwhelming and difficult to believe.

How should Nana greet him? How could they broach the topic without scaring him away? Did they do it tonight, to make it clear right off the bat that they planned to care for him all the way until adulthood if Futa wanted them to, or did they wait until tomorrow? Normally they'd choose the next day so Futa could be fully rested but he was a mafia kid. Mafia kids viewed the world very differently and waiting might give him the wrong impression.

Nana groaned and started biting at their thumb again.

"_I'm afraid I fail to see the problem," _Snake said, confused. "_You have been eagerly awaiting the chance to officially adopt Bovino Lambo and I-Pin, I had assumed you would be overjoyed when an opportunity to actually go through the process presented itself. What makes it so different for Futa de la Stella?"_

"Lambo-kun and I-Pin-chan are _toddlers_," Nana flailed their hands around. "Futa is a child, yes, but he understands a lot more than them."

They weren't really sure how to explain it properly.

"_Ah,"_ Snake realized. "_You are afraid he will say no."_

"N-no!" Nana flushed to their ears. "That's not what I was trying to say!"

"_But it is what you meant," _Snake pointed out. "_You are afraid that with his greater mental awareness and observational skills he will deem you an unfit parent should you do one thing incorrectly."_

Nana spluttered.

"_I suppose that reasoning could make sense, in a way," _Snake sounded thoughtful. "_The younger children are far less likely to notice any mistakes and by the time they are old enough to really process everything you will have endeared yourself to them enough that they will most likely choose to stay with you of their own volition despite any missteps you might have made."_

Nana knelt down in the middle of the sidewalk and buried their face in their knees. They crossed their arms over their head. "Why do you always have to call me out like that?" they said, soft and a little hurt.

_"Because if I did not you would allow these ridiculous thoughts to build up to the point of detriment. I do not understand how, after everything you have managed to achieve, you could hold such thoughts towards yourself but I do recognize that despite the illogical nature of your thoughts they are still very much real beliefs you hold. Nana- I do hope you will actually listen to me this time when I say this- you... are an idiot."_

Nana muffled their snort in their knee.

_"Only a fool would think of potential future mistakes as the defining feature of any deal. In adopting Futa de la Stella you are making an agreement in which you will provide him food, clothing, a roof over his head, educational opportunities, and a safe environment in which he can pursue his own goals and interests while only requiring the occasional chore and basic safety rules in return. Regardless of any oversight on your part, this is clearly a beneficial deal to him and a wrongly worded sentence or a moment of forgetfulness is not going to take away those benefits. I could, perhaps, see your worries as being valid in Bovino Lambo's case currently as he is a child that prioritizes his most immediate emotional response over any sense of reason but Futa de la Stella has survived this long by being logical and rational about what he gives and what he takes. Judging by his ranking of you earlier I have no doubt he has already guessed at what you are planning. I wouldn't be surprised if Tsunayoshi has already asked him to stay at this point either. He is going to say yes because I can think of no other reason for him traveling to Namimori and searching out your son specifically than that he wanted your family's help in particular. Simply being open and honest with your expectations is the best approach and any of the emotional bonding you are wanting to add will naturally occur over the years you spend together."_

Nana lifted their head, wide-eyed. "...What kind of books have you been _reading_?" they breathed. "How do you- how did you do that?"

_"How did I so succinctly point out the ridiculousness of your own thought patterns before rerouting them with logic?" _Snake said proudly and a little bit full of himself. _"You are rather predictable when it comes to your insecurities Nana, I have had years of practice."_

Nana rolled their eyes so hard it almost hurt. "Deflate your head a little there buddy."

The coiled feeling of dread in their heart was gone and their stomach was settling. Nana stood up fully and brushed off their pants. All of that made sense. Futa had come looking for help, of course he had. If Snake was right and Futa had come searching for _Tsuna_ in particular then that was even better! Tsuna would win that boy over in a heartbeat. Even if Nana messed up again, Futa would trust in Tsuna. Tsuna would never betray that trust.

Nana patted their chest, breathing out. This was good. This was fine! Futa would stay with them and Nana wouldn't have to live in heartwrenching worry that a little boy was being hunted down and forced to probably live on the streets in constant fear.

Their eyebrow twitched.

Nana would need to look up the famiglias those men belonged to.

"How long have you been able to talk to your ghost?"

Nana looked down. Reborn was watching them with an odd glint in his eyes, twisting one of his curly sideburns between his fingers. They pursed their lips.

_"He will know if you lie," _Snake warned.

That was pretty high praise. Nana rarely saw a need to _truly_ hide things, not with the friends and family they had, but whenever they thought it was necessary they could do so with ease. If Snake was saying that Reborn would catch them in a lie even if Nana was seriously trying...

That was a bit unnerving.

"Since I was born, I'm pretty sure," Nana answered honestly. "I've heard his voice since I was very young."

"And is he truly a ghost like Lavina says?"

Nana shrugged. "He told me he doesn't have a physical form."

Which was true. Snake had said that. When Nana was eight. He didn't bother trying to fool them about that anymore.

Reborn's eyes flashed. "Do _you_ think he has a physical form somewhere?"

"I hope he does," Nana sighed. "I want to give him a good solid punch for his bullshit. And a big hug. He seems like he could use a few of those."

_"Nana_," Snake sighed.

Nana grinned at the slightly flustered waver in his tone.

"Lavina knows a lot more about those kinds of things than I do though," they continued. "If there's a ghost problem I'd trust her over anyone else."

Reborn released his sideburn with a tiny flick, making it bounce. He stared at Nana for a good long moment (Nana was so grateful they hadn't inherited their Dad's sweaty palms).

"Shall we get moving?" Nana directed, motioning their arms down the sidewalk.

Reborn shrugged and started walking.

Sweet. Nana's luck for narrowly missing death was still going strong.

_"Thank you Nana. I would prefer it if Reborn did not have a lot of information about me."_

Nana nodded. Reborn knowing things about you was horrifying. They could see why even Snake would want to avoid that.

They got to TakeSushi quickly after that. They had honestly only been around the corner when Nana decided to have a nice fight with their inner turmoil. The lights were on but the sign was flipped to closed.

The door was unlocked.

"Thank you for adopting me, Maman," Futa bowed deeply before grinning up at him.

Nana froze, hand still on the handle and barely a foot past the threshold.

Tsuyoshi slapped his hands on the counter, laughing so hard tears came to his eyes.

Nana blinked, sniffling.

_"Nana, there really isn't a need to cr-"_

"Welcome to the family son!" Nana cried, swooping Futa up into their arms.

Futa laughed. "Wow! Tsuna-nii was right!"

Nana patted his head, elated beyond words. They'd been wanting to call Lambo and I-Pin their son/daughter since they first showed up. Having to bite their tongue all the time had been making them anxious and this kid (who was fricken adorable, look at those giganto eyes) just straight up took Nana's first move!

"I'm Futa de la Stella," he introduced himself happily when Nana finally calmed down and released him. "Tsuna-nii said I could stay with you and that you would take care of me!"

Nana let their eyes slide over to their son who was hiding his face in the corner.

"H-he doesn't have any parents Dad," Tsuna explained, using his hand as a barrier for his eyes. "And he s-says people try to kidnap him a lot. To make him do things he doesn't want to do."

"Things? What kind of things?" Nana straightened. "Futa-kun, how old are you?"

"Nine!" he held up his hands.

Nana threw their hands up in the air as well, but less in a counting way and more of a 'what the fuck is wrong with this world' kind of way. "_Why_ are people trying to force you to do things for them? Is it the ranking thing? Natsuki and Snake mentioned it but that doesn't seem like a very good reason to be hounding _children_! It is the ranking thing right? Do they try to make you do anything else?"

Futa tapped his chin, tilting his head thoughtfully. "Usually just the ranking."

"Usually?!"

"Well, my rankings are always correct as long as it's not raining. A lot of bosses think that's very useful so they try to make me rank all their enemies."

"_It is true that his rankings are a fearsome weapon," _Snake lectured. "_He is an extremely rare person to be able to communicate with the stars the way he does. Only three other people have ever had the ability since the beginning of mankind. Futa de la Stella is a resource people would kill to have."_

Nana opened their mouth, then thought better of it.

They placed a hand on Futa's shoulder. "You… are really cool. It seriously sucks that people keep trying to make you do things you don't want to do, I get why you were running away. You can stay with us for as long as you want Futa-kun, no one here will ever make you do anything you don't want to. Except maybe chores sometimes."

Futa stared up at him, blinking. A blinding smile took over his face. "...Thanks!"

"Welcome to the family," Nana repeated simply, locking this child away in their heart forever. "Do you have any things you need to get before you pick out a room?"

"Nope!" Futa chirps, folding his arms behind him and rocking on the tips of his toes. "I don't need anything except my book!"

"And clothes," Nana was aghast. "And food. And literally everything else required for living."

Futa shrugged.

"First chore," Nana decided robotically. "Love yourself more. Please."

"I like myself fine though?"

"We'll work on that," Nana promised. "First, let's go get you a room and introduce you to everyone."

"Okay!"

Nana stood up. Tsuyoshi was still chuckling as he pointed at a large bag at the end of the counter. "Everyone else already ate. Take that with you when you go."

Nana debated on staying irritated with him for still laughing but the gratitude for food won out.

"Thanks Tsuyoshi. Where is everyone else?"

"Miyu-chan should be at home by now. Ryohei-kun and Kyoko-chan practically carried her out of here when she was done eating," Tsuyoshi laughed again, softer this time. His eyes were warm. "They were cheering the whole time."

Nana nodded strongly. Good. Miyu deserved all the cheers. The fact that she approached clearly dangerous men, when she still flinched away from someone like Tsuyoshi if he startled her, for children that weren't even her own was awe-inspiring in Nana's opinion. It must have taken all the courage she could muster to walk towards them, let alone punch someone. Kouske had looked proud when he noticed the man with the broken jaw (Nana hadn't even had to tell him it was Miyu that punched him, which was kind of weird, but Kouske was kind of weird so what did it matter).

"Takeshi, Hayato-kun, and Dino-kun are all asleep upstairs. They didn't last very long after dinner."

"As long as they make it to school on time tomorrow," Nana said fondly. "I'll let Lavina know Hayato is here."

Something in Tsuyoshi's eyes changed at Lavina's name. He glanced at Tsuna quickly.

"Tsu-kun," Nana tugged at their son's arm, "can you take the food and Futa-kun home? I need to check in with Aiko about what we're doing for Sports Day before I leave and it's starting to get late. I don't want Futa-kun to stay up any longer than he has to."

"Oh, um, sure," Tsuna grabbed Futa's hand from Nana into his own. Nana helped him balance the food in his other arm. "Will everything be… okay?"

"It should be," Nana fixed his hair for him. "Kyoya took all of those guys away and there didn't seem to be any more of them running around. Besides, Reborn will look after you two. Won't you Reborn?"

Reborn popped his head up from Tsuna's hair with a smirk. He looked at the bag of food with a glint in his eyes. "Of course."

While Tsuna panicked about not realizing Reborn was in his hair (again), Nana ushered them out the door.

"Stay with Tsuna, okay Futa-kun?"

"Okay Maman!"

Nana clutched at their heart.

Tsuna was tugged along by the smaller boy. He kept glancing back worriedly while Nana waved until they turned the corner. Once they were gone they went back in.

Tsuyoshi was sitting at the counter now, a little plate of sushi in front of the empty seat next to him. Nana folded into it with a sigh.

"Got yourself another one," Tsuyoshi leaned his cheek against his hand, grinning like the cat that caught the canary. "You'll have your own personal baseball team soon."

Nana rolled their eyes but smiled back. "You don't fool me, if Tsuna hadn't told him I'd take him in you would have done it yourself."

"He's just like a little Takeshi!" Tsuyoshi cheered. "But with books instead of a bat! Aiko would love him to bits."

Nana had to agree with him there. Aiko was absolutely smitten with I-Pin and she made snacks to bribe Lambo over to play all the time. If they didn't know any better Nana would think Aiko was going to go out to get her own wayward child.

"Does he have any siblings?" Tsuyoshi asked curiously.

...Maybe it would be Tsuyoshi to go looking.

"Snake?" Nana checked.

_"Futa de la Stella is an only child."_

"Nah," Nana answered their friend. "No siblings from him."

Tsuyoshi clicked his tongue. "Ah well, I'm sure more will come."

Nana hated that he was probably right. Tsuyoshi let them eat a bit before speaking again.

"Have you heard anything from her?" he asked, picking at a slight divot in the counter.

Nana shook their head.

He sighed. "Has Kouske said anything?"

"Nothing new," Nana ate their sushi slowly, suddenly exhausted. "He hasn't seen today's test results yet but… I doubt anything has changed."

Tsuyoshi wrapped an arm around Nana's shoulder, resting his head on theirs when they leaned on him. "It's gonna be okay. Kouske'll figure it out."

Nana licked their lips, blinking quickly to get rid of the water building along their lower eyelids. "...Yeah."

They sat together silently while Nana finished their food. Aiko showed up just as Nana was leaving, sweaty and with a longbow draped across her shoulder. Nana got stuck in a smothering hug between the two as they greeted each other like the love-sick teens they had never changed from.

"Alright, alright," Nana wriggled free. "Gods you two are sickeningly sweet."

Tsuyoshi placed an absurdly large kiss on his wife's cheek, adding in a loud "mwuah" sound.

Nana laughed.

"Oh. Oh!" Aiko clapped her hands together suddenly. "I know it's late, but do you want to see something cool before you go?"

"That is never a question I'm going to say no to," Nana said.

Aiko grinned.

-00-

Children were… kind of exhausting. Tsuna hadn't realized how difficult it was to keep track of such tiny people. Mom had looked stressed when they left TakeSushi so he had tried to get everything ready for the night before she got back. That was easier said than done.

Lambo was always a challenge. He had been prepared for that. I-Pin was usually good so long as he kept her separated from Lambo long enough for her to go into her room. That particular bedtime routine was easy once he got Lambo in the right hold to keep him from wriggling away.

Everything was fine until Futa started levitating and gravity turned off.

Because gravity could do that.

Turn off.

Like an on/off switch.

Thankfully Ryu-san had walked in and been kind enough to lend a hand. Tsuna let him hold Lambo while he put I-Pin to bed (and made sure she had her Rainbow Phoenix Man action figure, gifted by Lambo, of course). They both decided to let Futa finish up whatever he was doing while he mumbled to himself in the air. Lambo went down once he was burrito wrapped in his blanket and Tsuna started singing (which was so, _so_ embarrassing but it _worked_ okay).

Futa ended up not floating forever, which was great. All the things that had been floating around him also stopped, which was less great. Thankfully nothing was broken but it was a pretty big mess. Futa promised to help clean up once he was done writing down his new rankings but Tsuna didn't count on it. He had said a lot, they'd definitely finish cleaning before he was done.

"I'm home," Nana called softly from the entrance.

"Welcome home, Nana-san," Ryu passed by with an armful of pictures, carefully setting them back where they belonged.

"Welcome home Mom," Tsuna rushed over. "Did anything happen? You were gone for a while."

"Yeah," Nana slumped.

"D-did you get attacked?!" Tsuna fretted.

"No, no, nothing like that," Nana promised. "Aiko got back as I was leaving and she wanted to show me this new trickshot she had learned. Then Tsuyoshi wanted to try hitting it out of the air with the sword he just... keeps behind the bar apparently. Aiko seemed all for it so I had to stay to be the voice of reason."

"You stopped them?"

"Nah," Nana yawned. "I just had her shoot at me instead."

"_What?!"_

"Maman!" Futa rushed around the corner, giant book in hand. "Your house is so big! It ranked 6th out of 34,605 homes that are child friendly and give you that warm, nostalgic feeling!"

Nana's face contorted into an odd mixture of pride and weirded out. "...That is a very specific category. But not a bad one! More importantly though, why are you still up Futa-kun? I thought you'd be in bed by now."

Tsuna shriveled. Nana didn't sound stern, just curious, but he had promised to get Futa to sleep before she got back.

"There were too many things to rank!" Futa held up his book excitedly. "And Tsuna-nii was busy putting everyone else in bed. Hanazawa Ryu helped him clean up after my ranking was done so there wasn't any time for sleep!"

Ryu waved happily as he put the last picture back in place. "I heard the commotion and thought I would come out to help."

Tsuna wondered if Shoto-san was already asleep or if he just didn't want to bother with the inevitable war zone that was bedtime with Lambo.

"Thank you, Ryu-kun. Lavina usually helps too," Nana's eyes flicked to the stairs. "Was she tired?"

"No," Tsuna shook his head. "She actually went out for a walk when I got home."

The green around his mom flared out alarmingly.

"It's a nice night for a walk," Nana said happily.

Tsuna frowned, worried. His Aunt had looked more energized when she left, her colors had been swirling more erratically than usual, but it was true that she didn't usually leave before all the kids were taken care of.

"Mom," he said carefully.

Nana placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay Tsu-kun. She had a doctor's appointment today, you know those always put her on edge."

"Yeah…"

Ryu looked between them. "Well, I suppose I'll turn in for the night."

Nana sent him a grateful smile. "Thank you again for helping Ryu-kun. Sleep well."

"You three as well."

Futa tucked his book away, folding his hands in front of him. "Should I go to bed too?"

"Have you picked a room?"

"Yup!" he chirped. "It's next to I-Pin-chan's room!"

Nana ruffled his hair again, melting when he leaned into it. "Then I would definitely say it's time for bed. Can you handle getting ready on your own?"

Futa seemed like an independent kid. He probably wouldn't appreciate Nana hovering over him like they did with the younger ones.

"Of course!" he ran up the stairs with a laugh.

"He's adorable," Nana watched him with a happy little grin.

Tsuna had to agree, even if the floating thing was really weird. He was a lot more well behaved than Lambo, and it was easier to hold a conversation with him too. Not that I-Pin didn't try, but her stilted Japanese and Tsuna's poor retention of Chinese made it a little difficult to keep up with a topic.

Playing imagination was the best way to get through to both of them, but with Futa he seemed to just want to talk. About everything. Tsuna could definitely appreciate talking over running around and getting his ankles chopped at with cardboard swords.

Tsuna leaned into the hand that ruffled his hair before flushing and pulling away.

Nana smiled at him warmly. "Head to bed Tsu-kun."

Tsuna shuffled his feet. He twisted his hands together and looked at the door.

Nana hugged him. "Got to sleep. I'll wait up for her."

"Okay," he said softly. He hugged them back quickly before rushing up the stairs. Reborn was already asleep in his hammock so he had to tiptoe his way through his nighttime routine. He grabbed his large headphones and his gaming pad, hiding them under the blankets. Then he waited.

Mom's footsteps were too soft on the carpet to hear, but the sound of their fingers trailing along the wall, following the pattern of the painted flowers Aunt Lavina had made, always let him know where they were in the hall. He heard Lambo's door open. Then I-Pin's. Futa's was too far away.

Fingers brushed plaster outside his door.

Nana peeked in. "Goodnight Tsu-kun."

"Night Mom," Tsuna yawned.

The door closed. Tsuna waited for a little bit longer.

He heard the front door open. He could hear the lock click into place.

Pulling out his headphones he plugged them in and opened up the math matching game his teacher from last year had recommended. It wasn't a difficult one, not anymore. Not with Reborn there. It was time-consuming though. Mom never told him anything important about Aunt Lavina's hospital trips. Aunt Lavina was even more evasive. The only thing he had to go off of was their colors but those couldn't really help with something like this.

They didn't want him to know. They didn't want Hayato to know.

His heart clenched. He couldn't force answers out of them. Especially not with something so personal. He could wait up for them though, to make sure they made it home safe.

Tsuna tapped his toes together softly to the theme song of the game.

He waited.

-00-

Nana found her in the clearing. THE clearing, apparently, since this was the same place Nana kept finding herself drawn to throughout the years. It was where she had first decided to try unlocking her Flames. The place she had her first lesson with Kyoya. Where she had told Tsuna about Iemitsu and herself.

Now it was where she found Lavina, bathed in the silvery light of the moon. She was at the center, sitting criss-cross with her arms wrapped loosely around her stomach. Her back was turned to Nana, but her head was tilted down to the ground instead of up at the beautiful star spattered sky.

Nana stepped out from the treeline, unfolding the blanket she had brought with her as she went. She draped it over Lavina's shoulders, setting one of the thermoses full of the silverette's favorite tea next to her as well.

"...Nana?" Lavina whispered.

"Hey."

Nana looked her over. She wasn't wearing her makeup for the first time in a long time. She was always so careful about putting it on before she left her room, no matter how early it was. Gods, the small wrinkles around her eyes and lips made it look like she'd aged twenty years in the few hours since Nana had last seen her. Her skin was red too. She must have scrubbed her face raw trying to get it off out here where she knew no one would see her.

There were papers in her hands, crumpled to the point of nearly tearing from the grip she had on them. Nana reached out, gently uncurling her fingers and smoothing out the papers but keeping them folded. Lavina would tell her what they said when she was ready and honestly… Nana wasn't sure she was ready to know.

"Here," Nana picked up the thermos, pouring a good amount into the lid and guiding it into Lavina's hands. Once everything was as good as it was going to get Nana sat down with a few inches of space between their shoulders. She opened her own thermos, letting her free hand rest palm up between them.

Then she waited.

It took a while. Nana finished her entire thermos, and she'd only been sipping at it intermittently. Lavina still hadn't touched hers.

It must have been half an hour, at least, before Nana felt trembling fingers curl around her own.

Lavina sniffled. She set her cup in the grass, lifting Nana's hand and pressing the back of it to her forehead.

Nana blinked quickly, staring up at the stars.

Lavina's illness was exceedingly rare. So rare, in fact, that there were only three other known (potential) cases and near to no information about it. The other three people had died, suddenly and without warning, before anyone even really knew something was wrong.

Just like Lavina almost had, that sunny day in Italy.

The only thing known, as a fact, about the illness was that it was degenerative. The first man with a recorded case died because his lungs just… stopped working. The second person died when her nervous system failed during the night and no one thought to check on her until it was too late. The third man, it was his brain. Lavina's heart had stopped.

Lavina was the only one to have survived one of her bodily functions stopping, due to the pure chance that Nana had been with her and Snake had been so quick to assist. Everything that happened after was carefully monitored and scrutinized and still, _still_ no one could figure out what the fuck was causing it.

Lavina's body, her entire body, has been slowly eroding away for years. Coming to Namimori had slowed it down somehow, but even at a snail's pace it had continued to decline. Her medicine, the countless times they had to change it, was because not a single one of them worked. All they did was numb the pain enough for her to try to live as normal of a life as she could.

The kids didn't know. Lavina didn't want them to know yet, and Nana didn't trust herself to be able to stop talking once she started so she hadn't even told Tsuna that the hospital Lavina so frequently visited was owned by Kouske. If Nana told him that Kouske was a _world-renowned_ medical scientist then Tsuna might start to notice that even with Kouske around them all the fucking time Lavina wasn't getting better. She was 'stable', maintaining the same level of health she always had, until you looked at pictures or videos over the years and noticed the subtle loss of weight, the bags under her eyes, the tremor in her legs because she was curving downward so slowly that it sometimes looked like a straight line.

"Nana," Lavina choked, hunching in on herself. She clung to Nana's hand like a lifeline, gripping it with all her strength.

Nana could barely feel it at all.

"It's okay," Nana said, reaching for her friend. She lifted Lavina easily, tucking her into her arms and settling her head under Nana's chin. "It's alright. Let it out Lavina, I've got you."

Lavina still had her hand but her face was pressed into Nana's shoulder now. Nana hugged her, humming softly under her breath as Lavina cried. It was the song Lavina always played at school when Nana was scared, or dysphoric, or so afraid of the future she couldn't move.

Nana didn't want to know what the papers said. She'd had enough hospital rooms and repressed tears from her last life, she didn't want to go through it all in this one too, but Lavina was such a special existence in Nana's life and she deserved every bit of support the world could offer.

"I-I'm s-s-sorry," Lavina whimpered, straining so hard to stop herself from crying too loudly. Even out here, in the middle of the woods, she didn't want anyone noticing.

"Hush," Nana pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "You're safe here Lavina. Don't worry about anything else right now. I'm here with you."

Nana wanted to tell her to stop holding back. To let everything out and scream as loud as she needed to.

Nana remembered her brother, from so long ago, letting go of so much he never found a piece left behind to keep.

Lavina muffled her soft cries in Nana's shoulder, and Nana let her.

Nana stopped humming for a moment, taking a deep breath to steady herself. She startled, suddenly, when she realized she could still hear the song she had been singing. Quiet, barely there, but there was definitely another voice. It wasn't coming from Lavina, obviously. It sounded odd, too. Like it was coming from her head-

Oh.

"Fuck," Nana said as the first tear rolled down her cheek.

Lavina hugged her tighter when her breath hitched.

Snake continued to hum softly in the back of her head.

Nana's face crumpled. She hid away in Lavina's hair, hiccuping along with her.

Lavina wasn't going to Italy.

-00-

Kouske punched the desk hard enough to crack it. His knuckles were bleeding when he pulled back. Natsuki had gotten him that desk. She'd had it custom made so that he wouldn't break it on accident.

He punched it again, the papers on top of it flying off and to the floor. The desk split in two.

Thin, immeasurably strong fingers glided over the top of his hand, stopping him from striking the third time.

Natsuki looked up at him calmly.

Kouske twined their hands together, using his other hand to rub away the headache growing behind his eyes.

"There is nothing wrong with her," he scowled.

Because there wasn't. Every single medical condition, from a simple virus to genetic deficiencies, had a defining characteristic that caused the medical issue. Not everything had a cure, not yet, but it had a _cause_.

Lavina was completely healthy. All of her blood tests came back normal. She passed every cognitive development test Kouske could assign. She didn't have any growths where there shouldn't be, she didn't have cancer cells anywhere in her body, and her immune system was so strong she'd avoided catching so much as a cold for years. Her hormonal levels were normal. Everything was _normal_.

Kouske couldn't even say that the level of degeneration her body was going through was unnatural, because it was the exact same kind of degeneration he saw in every single living person. The natural declination of health as a body grew, caused simply by the wear and tear of time. Lavina was going through the exact same process but at an increasingly heightened rate and Kouske couldn't figure out _why_.

Natsuki pulled their hands up, kissing the side of his thumb. "What do you want to do?"

Kouske sighed, heavy and angry. Finding answers was his job.

"I'm going to go visit my other locations," he decided. Namimori was his biggest investment, especially over the last few years, but he had several other hospitals he owned at might provide at least a bit more information. "There is a case over in France that is similar to this one. I need to check on it."

Natsuki hummed. She looked down at their feet, tapping her bare toe on a specific paper that had landed near them.

"And the girl?"

Kouske bent forward, resting his head on top of Natsuki's. "If Lavina continues the way she is Nana won't be able to care for them both."

Natsuki wrapped her arms around him. "I'll take care of it."

"You said you didn't want-"

"I want it now. I went to visit and I saw what you told me about. Leave it to me."

He loved his wife. Nana would mock him, if he admitted to believing in the sentimental existence of miracles, but there was no other logical way to explain Natsuki.

"Kyoya won't be pleased," he said instead of asking her if she was sure. If she didn't want to do something she wouldn't, even if Kouske was the one to ask. It was just one more thing to love.

"He'll be delighted," Natsuki corrected. "He's never wanted to be your heir."

Kouske blinked. That… was ingenious.

He pulled back, lifting his hands to cup her face. He kissed her forehead reverently, to show his appreciation for her intelligence.

She smiled, lifting herself up on her toes to kiss him properly. "We won't be seeing each other for a while then."

Kouske scowled again. Natsuki laughed lightly, pulling at his hand to guide him towards the door.

"Why don't you take someone with you? I don't want you feeling lonely," she teased. "I'm sure Tsuyoshi and Aiko would love to have their own little adventure with you."

Kouske made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat.

Natsuki turned to him, amused as they entered their room. "Well, Nana can't go with you they'll be in Italy. Miyu won't agree and Lavina has to stay in Namimori."

"Kyoya."

Natsuki's eyebrow raised, the mirror image of their son. "He would jump out of the plane if you tried."

Not if Kouske tied him down well enough.

"I don't need anyone to go with me." He opened the closet, pulling out a pair of sleep pants and throwing one of his shirts at his wife. She changed faster than him, lounging on her side of the bed while they talked.

"No, but you should bring someone anyway. You get too stressed when you're alone."

Kouske rolled his eyes as he got on his side, meeting her in the middle so they could lay down together. It was her fault he was overly aware of silences in empty rooms.

"Think about it," she urged, kissing the underside of his jaw and curling around him protectively. "I'd hate for you to get sick again."

Kouske sighed. "I'm only taking one of them."

Natsuki gave a please hum, brushing her fingers over his face as he relaxed. "That's good."

-00-

"Aright," Nana parked the car then turned in her seat to look back at the three youngest. "Lambo-kun would you like to explain the rules for shopping together?"

Lambo laughed proudly, nose in the air. "Lambo-san knows everything! You have to hold hands if there is a lot of people, and if you want to go anywhere different you have to tell Maman! Maman gets scared if you disappear so you have to say where you're going! Everything costs money, so you're not supposed to just take stuff," Lambo lectured I-Pin and Futa. "You can get one toy! If you're really, _really_ good you might get two!"

Nana unclipped her seatbelt. "And what do you have to do to be really good?"

"Stay safe!" Lambo threw his hands in the air. "If you get lost stay in one spot so Maman and Crybaby Tsuna can find you! If Maman says no then no arguing! Return things you accidentally took from someone's pockets!"

"Or," Tsuna sighed, "just don't take things from people's pockets."

Nana smiled. "Are you all ready to go shopping?"

"Yeah!" Lambo and I-Pin cheered. Futa nodded quickly, fiddling with his seatbelt.

"Remember, we're here to get new clothes for everyone and find some things to put in Futa-kun and I-Pin-chan's rooms. If you want anything else you have to ask."

Money wasn't really a problem any more thanks to the Hibari family but Nana didn't want to spoil them _too_ much. Lambo especially needed to mature a bit more than the others, so teaching him manners and restraint was extra important. He was doing pretty good though. He'd shared one of his absolute favorite action figures (something about a rainbow rocket man from space?) with I-Pin the night after they met so she could have someone to keep her safe while she slept.

It was cute as heck, and it definitely endeared him to the girl after their disastrous first meeting. Nana couldn't get the adorable picture of a Lambo Broccoli monster out of their head and, judging from her occasional terrified glances, neither could I-Pin.

Nana got Lambo and I-Pin out of their chairs, leaving Futa to Tsuna. Once they were all standing side-by-side Nana squinted at the parking lot around them. The big mall in the town next to Namimori wasn't terribly far away if you had a car (which Nana promised Miyu a nice meal for letting her borrow), but it was always so crowded. They had to park a lot farther away from the entrance this time thanks to so many cars packed together. The original plan had been to have Lavina come with them, she'd wanted to grab a few things herself, but with the sudden addition of Futa as well as... other things it was best that she stayed home. Without any of the kids to interrupt her rest.

"It looks like it's really busy today," Nana mumbled. She nodded, looking at her kids. "Buddy system today, guys. We'll try to all stay together but we need to always be with our buddies at the very least, okay? Lambo sweetie, you're buddy is Tsu-kun. Make sure he doesn't get lost okay?"

Lambo grabbed Tsuna's hand, clinging to it with a wide grin. "Don't worry Maman, Lambo-san will keep Crybaby Tsuna safe!"

Tsuna rolled his eyes but held the toddler's hand without complaint.

"I-Pin-chan and Futa-kun, you two are buddies as well. That means you hold hands and look out for each other."

"Yes," I-Pin saluted like she'd been given a mission. She reached up to grab Futa's hand with a heavy amount of determination.

Futa smiled down at her.

"Hm," Nana looked at them all. Tsuna had a phone so if they got separated he could just call Nana and let her know where they were. She pulled out her own phone and handed it to Futa. "Do you know how to work a cellphone Futa-kun?"

"Yeah," he said, looking confused. "Isn't this your phone?"

Nana nodded. "I know where all the help centers are here, so if I get lost I can find other ways to tell you guys where I am. Since you two have never been here before it would be better for you to have the phone. If you two get lost call Tsuna and he'll come find you, okay?"

Tsuna twitched a little at the three pairs of sparkling eyes that turned to look at him. Nana hid a smile at his flustered look. He was still getting used to being a big brother, Nana couldn't wait to see him realize how cool the little ones thought he was.

"Now that we all know what to do let's get going!" Nana cheered. Her kids cheered with her, even Tsuna (though he was a lot quieter, and mostly forced by an excited Lambo).

They walked in together (Nana _had_ to videotape Lambo teaching the other two the proper way to cross the road with all the confidence a five-year-old could have). The walkways through the mall were clear enough for them to get around comfortably put some of the stores were pretty packed.

"Let's get clothes after lunch," Nana decided, grimacing at the ridiculous throng of people in all the clothing stores. "Maybe things will die down a little. Futa-kun, I-Pin-chan, would you like to go pick out some paint for your rooms?"

"I get to paint it?" Futa looked starstruck. I-Pin swung their hands in a wide arc excitedly.

"Whatever colors you want," Nana promised. "What do you want your rooms to look like?"

Lambo had wanted his to look like a forest so his walls had a bunch of trees painted on them. It was a cute, silly little forest with Nana's basic pine trees, Tsuna's round puff trees, Lavina's eerily realistic oaks, and Lambos… cute little blobs.

"Can I- can-," Futa stumbled over his words for a second, giddy with ideas. "Can I have a _space_ room?"

"Ooh," Nana clapped, "that would look awesome! We can definitely do that. What about you I-Pin-chan?"

"Dragons!" she jumped up and down.

Tsuna tilted his head. "Like the ones on some of your clothes?"

"Yes!"

Nana would definitely need Lavina's help with that one.

"Let's do it. We can order the colors and look at some furniture while we wait for them to be made."

It took them nearly an hour to decide on colors once the kids got distracted by the wall of paint cards, then another hour and a half after that to decide on only a few pieces of furniture (Nana was not buying three entire furniture theme sets, heck no). Nana filled out an order slip as they went so everything would be delivered to the house later instead of dangerously Tetrised in Miyu's truck. Futa picked a space rocket bed (of course), a desk, and some bookshelves while I-Pin preferred a simple futon of her own. She didn't seem to want much so Nana got her small shelf, a dragon lamp she had been staring at, and a chest to keep her current and future things in. Nana would have to watch her play with Lambo to see what kind of toys she preferred. She seemed to be the polar opposite of the afro haired boy so Nana would need to be more aware since I-Pin didn't seem the type to ask for things. They all got some clothing hangers for later and once the paints were ready they marched back to the car and then it was time for lunch.

"You guys go sit," Nana pointed to a miraculously open table in the food court. "I'll get our food and meet you over there okay?"

Lambo whined a bit but allowed Tsuna to pick him up and carry him away. I-Pin and Futa followed with Futa in the middle holding both their hands.

Nana wished she had her phone to take a picture.

As she waited in line Nana pulled out her shopping list and went over what was left. Clothes for Futa and I-Pin, new shoes for Tsuna as well as the game Nana had promised him, a game for the other three once they saw Tsuna was getting one, books and toys for Futa and I-Pin, a new skillet, and some gloves for Lavina. The mall was Nana's go-to for huge shopping trips so they would be able to get everything here. The question was if she would be able to get everything before the kids got tired and cranky.

Well, out of all the challenges in Nana's life it wasn't the worst.

"_Don't forget to get yourself new boots," _Snake pointed out. "_Even if you could find the one you lost in the forest it is far beyond repair now."_

"Oh shoot," Nana scratched her head. She'd forgotten about that. "I'll grab some when we get Tsuna his shoes."

"_And your own gloves have a hole in them."_

Nana added that to the list as well.

"Am I forgetting anything else?"

"_Not that I am aware of."_

"Perfect," Nana tucked her pen back into her pocket, folding up the list crisply.

The kid's ate their food quickly and Nana could almost see their energy levels rising back up with each bite. Soon enough they were ready to tackle the clothing challenge.

And it was.

A challenge.

I-Pin discovered hoodies. Nana dutifully ignored her ecstatic ramblings about how many weapons you could hide while wearing one. Lambo wanted to try everything on but then whined and complained when, after deciding they weren't cool enough for the Great Lambo, he had to put them all back in the right place. Nana wouldn't let him get anymore cow onesies so he was building towards a nice little explosion in the corner of the dressing room after he had tried to run out of the store screaming. He'd knocked a few of the mannequins over but thankfully they hadn't broken. Futa was fine. Until he started floating. The only one that was actually helpful in the situation was Tsuna, bless his heart. He kept trying to calm Lambo down or pull Futa out of the air. Nana felt bad about it, he usually had so much fun on these trips but he was practically shaking with stress by the time they were done.

Nana let him get two games and promised him a day out with just the two of them next time, which seemed to boost his mood a bit.

"I want a game too!" Lambo raged.

Nana bent down in front of him. "What do you need to do to get a game?"

Lambo huffed, sniffled, and blubbered. Nana wiped his face gently, waiting.

I-Pin raised her hand.

"Yes, I-Pin-chan."

"Be good!"

"If Maman says no then no arguing," Futa added.

Lambo gripped his sleeves, crying.

"Were you good today?" Nana asked him.

"No," his voice cracked.

"What could we have done better?" Nana urged.

Lambo rubbed at his eyes. "N-not... run out... or screamed. Or knocked the dead people over."

Nana bit her tongue. "Mannequins aren't dead people sweetheart. Now, what was the good thing you did?"

Lambo scrunched his eyes up, confused.

I-Pin raised her hand again. "Said sorry!"

"Did you say sorry Lambo-kun?"

Lambo thought about it. "...Yeah."

"Did you help put everything back the way it should be?"

He nodded.

"Are you going to run out and hit things again?"

He shook his head, fast enough to make himself stumble.

"We still haven't gone to the toy store," Nana reminded him. "We can't get two toys today, but if you show me how you can be a nice, good Lambo-kun then I'll let you get one."

Lambo smiled dorkily. "The Great Lambo promises to be good."

They sealed it with a pinky promise.

The rest of the trip went great after that. Tsuna got his games which looked like it made his whole day better, Futa got one too to play with the others which was sweet. I-Pin got two toys (a stuffed dragon and a red space action figure that looked like the one Lambo had given her), Futa got one (a book, technically, but he loved it), and Lambo got one (a sticky slapper hand thing that Nana knew was going to be a disaster in the making) even though he was clearly upset that the other two got to get more. He held in well though, turning his focus to his own toy instead.

Nana patted his head. "I'm very proud of you Lambo-kun."

He giggled, wiggling and hiding his face in his hands.

On the drive back the three kids fell asleep almost immediately. Tsuna didn't seem too far off either, just resting his head on the window the entire time. Nana sent the younger ones to their rooms with the lightest of bags once they got back. Shoto had been in the main room so she'd bribed him into helping with the promise of a dessert all his own later that night.

By the time everything was settled and the truck was returned Nana was ready for bed herself. Lambo and I-Pin were playing in the front room together while Futa read on the couch.

Nana paused on her way to the kitchen.

I-Pin was playing with the rainbow spaceman action figure Lambo had given her.

Lambo was playing with the red one.

"Look, look!" Lambo showed it off. "I-Pin gave it to Lambo-san!"

Nana held her heart. "Oh really?"

They both posed dramatically. "Protecting the house from evil monsters! Space Squad!"

"Space Squad!" Futa cheered.

Nana skipped the rest of the way to the kitchen. Even Shoto's hovering as she made him two (_two_, the absolute blackhole) batches of chocolate chip cookies couldn't ruin it. His stomach was growling the whole time, even though he had eaten several helpings from dinner just a few minutes before.

Lavina and Hayato did the dishes together, chatting and laughing like usual. Nana, as an adult parent that knew exactly how bad repression could be, repressed the fuck out of her memories from the night before. Hayato was observant. She couldn't slip up around him. And her heart hurt. This had been a happy day. She wanted to keep it that way.

"Maman! Futa-kun is floating again!"

Nana hugged Lavina on the way out, like she always did.

Everything would be okay.

**-00-**

**Did I forget to mention the sad stuff? Cause there's sad stuff too. **

**Speaking of sad stuff, there's a lot of sad stuff going around right now. Please, stay safe out there friends. Be the greatest person you strive to be and look out for the people around you. An act of kindness is never wasted, even if all the bad makes it look like it is. It's like a star. One tiny drop in a lot of inky black, but paired with all the people around you, filling this world with good, you come together to make something breathtakingly beautiful. Keep filling your night sky. Love you all.**

**Megi Keishii: Right?! Right?! And what an interesting visual you have there... *evil cackle***

**KawaiiSadist: *covets and hoards the love like a dragon* Thank you! Laurie knows whats up XD XD. Thanks for being so sweet! Happy and healthy thoughts headed your way!**

**Righello Di'Tutti: I'm gonna need a brain refresh friend. What's Gojima?**

**Yuki Nagasawa: Unique OC's are great OC's! I love hearing (reading) you talk about them, it's clear you love them a lot and hold them very close to your heart.**

**bloodshound: Even just your username brightens my day now, not to mention the incredibly BADASS words that always follow. How they are with other, more intense games... *nervous laughter* XD. What a cute response! XD Nana will learn about it at some point, worry not! Kyoya already knows, he's on the case. Nana. Nana pay attention. *snaps fingers*. NANA! Kyoko is a huge reason for Tsuna's survival XD I love writing her and her interactions and bonds with everyone, especially with the people she didn't interact with a lot in canon (her and Hayato, they gonna be those BFF's XD). Stupid button glitches! That happens to me all the time too, and always right in the middle of writing a huge response! AGh! Futa definitely has some sneaky cards up his sleeve. It's how he's gotten this far XD Tsuna would have done his best. Miyu did do her best! She's so cool! She's modeled after one of my friends who is, like, my absolute hero in everything. Love her. Do not run with straws! It is dangerous! It was definitely... appreciation. Maybe something a little stronger *evil cackle* The house is gone be... pretty big. Not too much more than it is now, I have plans for things in motion, but it's gonna be the kind of house you drive by and go 'Daaammmnn'. The current guests are going home soon actually. They have stuff they need to do. It's always such a delight to hear from you dearie! You keep being as awesome as you always are! I launching all the good feels and happy thoughts at you! Don't dodge! They're gonna get ya!**

**Greatazuredragon: That... is a very good question XD Thanks as always for being a sweet bean azure, you're a sweetheart!**

**hellocherryblossoms: cute name. XD you have got Natsuki and Kouske down to a T XD For your question, yes! Nana has those big doe eyes and their hair is currently very long. Nana doesn't particularly care about the length and messing with it makes Lavina happy so they keep it long.**

**thewhiteangel213: Thank YOU for taking the time out of your day to let me know you liked it!**

**Guest: Ohhh, you have them all figured out! XD The Hibari have a very strong, step-by-step courting plan. Good catch. You're asking them hard questions. I love it! Natsuki loves her husband very much. More than anything. And at first it was just about making him as happy as he can possibly be, which she didn't mind cause Nana was strong and cute. It was just that. At first. *evil cackle* Nana *continues to be very, very dumb*: Hey! I'm not dumb! XD Glad you liked it so much friendo!**

**Frozen teen: Natsuki is a Cloud like her son. Kouske... is a secret.**

**summberbones: Nana: *nervous and anxiety-riddled laughter* this is fine... XD Xanxus is gonna be so much fun.**

**Anya: Oh jeez, thank you! You gotta tone down those words, they're liable to kill me. *smacking anyone that tries to take them from me and wrapping them up like a burrito* Squeal away! I do it all the time (with varying results of passerby reactions XD) I'm living for your imagery Anya XD Your response was crazy cute too! One Piece is just one of those things that will NEVER LET YOU GO, FOR THE LOVE OF- yeah. Sabo. Sabooo T-T You are soooo beautiful~ XD Am I- am I really an inspiration to you? That's... really cool. and so very sweet. And liable to melt my heart forever. Seriously, that means... so much to me. Thank you Anya. You're such a sweet person.**

**ADDBaby: Hoooolly shit, I forgot what an adrenaline rush I get when I read your writing my friend. Like, damn. Look at you. LOOK AT YOU! You're adorable, and super motivating. I read your comment and got so much shit done. SO MUCH! Nana is gonna have that pie! Laurie is the most adorable little red head you're ever gonna see! Kyoko IS the dangerous chemical component holding them together until she's ready to literally EXPLODE! XDXD Aiko and Tsuyoshi are the dream goals, both for relationships and friends. Love them. LOVE THEM! Reborn is have the time of his fucking life. He loves Namimori, he's never been so entertained! Look at these little animals, running around and fucking shit up. Look at them! Futa is gonna call everyone out. He's got a list. XD For Lavina... I totally did not help your worries with her. I probably just made them, like, 100x worse. Mah bad. 'you Gucci lovely boo~' XD XD Oh my god, the shriek of laughing delight when I read that. You're adorable ADD. And to nice to be real. Seriously, take all my happy, hopeful thoughts and horde them! ONly good things for you! ONLY GOOD THINGS! Ps. You are the BOMB! P.S.S. Awww, that's so sweet! Your sister is such a sweetheart! I love those blankets, my grandma would make them sometimes! I made one with her for my big brother when I was little and he still has it (i gotta make him a new one, seriously). Try not to melt away! My life would be a lot darker without you in it!**

**Kirie Mitsuru: Futa can be pretty devious, but he's still a kiddo with not a lot of love aimed at him. UNTIL NOW! *Nana and Tsuna burst through wall like Koolaid man*. Miyu is. so. cool! I adore her. Kyoko is certainly not a damsel in distress. She's a damsel that puts others in distress. Happily. Knowingly. XD The ship is sailing! Full speed ahead! Precious, precious Laurie. She knows what's up. Maybe the signal the Hibaris were trying to send to Nana bounced off and hit her XD Kouske is not a patient man. Natsuki is not a patient woman. But they have a foolproof plan. When they want something, they are downright meticulous. *evil laughter* I'm glad you like it and the puzzle pieces that are these characters! It's nice to hear from you again Kirie!**

**katsekala: Chrome is a humongous plot point that's gonna come up and I can't wait to see how you guys react to what happens with her. Like, holy shit. I can't even describe how excited I am for it. Eeeeeeeeeee! There shall be NO SELF DEPRECIATION HERE! NONE! I've got your votes tallied for the future dear. Many hugs! Thanks for the book encouragement, I appreciate it. I appreciate you!**

**ChaosHearth: Chaos! Of course I'm gonna reply to you, you're always so supportive and sweet! I love hearing your thoughts too, they're always so interesting and uplifting! Have confidence in you writing dearie! It's all about getting your mental image across and even just from these short conversations you always manage to do just that! You are a delight!**

**Tifbaby101: You are a sweet bean! A SWEET BEAN! I'm glad you liked it dearie!**

**Mel writer: Kouske *in the most deadpan voice you can imagine*: that is so my aesthetic. XD XD And oh my gosh! It was your birthday! What fortuitous timing! Happy (now belated) birthday my dear! I hope it was as awesome as you!**

**SnowLeopard167: The whole thing?! Hot damn friend, that's a lotta words! It's super uplifting to know you liked it so much, you rock!**


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